Tales of The Last Prime
by Black Oracle
Summary: ROTF 2009. Plagued by visions, memories and the call of the Matrix, Optimus Prime is being led to his destiny as the last Prime. Following on from "Rising Sun". Final epilogue 3 up! The Autobots and NEST are on the hunt for Decepticons again in Salem.
1. Dearly Departed

To kick start the new year, here's a brand new follow-on story from my previous ROTF fics: "I Rise, You Fall", "Rising Sun" and "In Your Arms". The title was inspired by the "Tales of the Fallen" comic series. Again, the focus is on Optimus Prime and his perspective. The chapters are written in the style of a series of voice-recorded journal entries, but the flashbacks are written in my previous third-person narrative style. These events start about six months after the events of ROTF.

Hope you all enjoy this one! Happy New Year to all!

Transformers are the property of Hasbro and the movies of Dreamworks and Paramount.

**Tales of The Last Prime**

Chapter 1: Dearly Departed

"Access code: Island. Voice journal entry 146. Earth date: January 15th, 2010.

It has been six Earth months since our battle in Egypt against The Fallen and Megatron. With the Fallen vanquished and Megatron apparently absent from Earth, there have been no more new Decepticon incidents. It has been a period of unusual quiet for the Autobots and human soldiers of N.E.S.T. operations.

Sadly though, I do not doubt that this peaceful time will only be temporary. Megatron will be recuperating and gathering his forces again. He will surely not forget the planet of his imprisonment for so many hundreds of meta-cycles so easily. It is only a matter of time before our Decepticon enemies rise again.

But there is something else that has been happening to me since my visit to the tomb of the Primes in Egypt four Earth months ago. There I saw vivid visions of my Prime forefathers and brothers as they were in life, visions of their distant and tragic past. I learnt of my creation from one of the first seven Primes: Prima, the leader of the Prime Dynasty. Impossible as it seemed, I am now certain of my direct descent from him. I had doubted my Prime lineage since the evidence first appeared just before the start of the Autobot-Decepticon War, but now I can no longer deny that I am the last of the ancient Prime Dynasty. This knowledge has weighed heavily on my mind. At times, I long for the impossible: I long to return to my Prime brethren, though I have never known them personally. I still see their faces, as they were in life and in death, in my mind. My lost family…

The only piece of them I carry now is the Matrix of Leadership. I carry it by my side always now, attached to my hip. Though we know it to be a powerful ancient artefact that was used to activate Sun Harvesters, it also is of sentimental value to me now. It is the only remaining link I have to my Prime ancestors, akin to how humans may hold onto old photographs of departed loved ones to remember them by. My contact with the Matrix's mysterious energies back in Egypt through Sam Witwicky's efforts has allowed me to look into the past to see my Prime forefathers and brothers before their deaths. It is the only way I can know them now. I have watched them, and I believe they even communicated with me during the time I was offline after nearly dying at Megatron's hands.

But the energies of the Matrix are unpredictable and unknowable. I continue to see visions and images at random, some evidently from the past, others I cannot be sure. Perhaps I have glimpsed scenes of the future or other worlds without realising. I have had strange and disturbing dreams in stasis, though it may well be that they are as much the result of my own insecurities as they are products of the Matrix's energy infusion into my spark. And the voices of the Primes echo in my head unannounced at times, though I can rarely decipher what they are saying.

What has most been concerning me of late though are the growing sensations of heat in my spark. I feel on occasions that my spark chamber is 'over-heating', like there is a gradual build-up of energy internally. But contrary to my expectations, these 'rising core temperatures' are not causing me discomfort, just… comfortable distraction. I suspected they were probably the residual energies of the Matrix which would fade in time. But they have persisted. And not only that, I feel they are spreading further through my internal systems. Ratchet has not been able to detect anything abnormal in my body on last examination though, other than a, as he called it, "healthy amount of energon". The sensations of internal heat come and go for the time being, but I am not sure what they are.

I sense that there is more to be learnt from and about the Matrix. There are moments when I feel inexplicably drawn to it…like it is calling to me in silent whispers… The visions, the dreams, the voices, the heat I feel in my core… I do not know if the Matrix energies are trying to relay a message from the past to me…or whether I am simply seeing old ghosts…

They are so vivid even now…"

* * *

[City of Altihex, Cybertron, during the Autobot-Decepticon war.]

Optimus fired off a few shots from his rifle then spun round to take cover back behind a metal wall. From the corner of his right optic he saw several lines of laser fire whiz right past him. He ignored their proximity and reloaded his rifle, keeping his head down. Having freshly reloaded, Optimus hefted his weapon up again to the side of his head, ready to fire it once more at the next available opportunity. His royal blue optics stared down hard at the debris-covered ground beneath his feet.

Across to him, pressing their backs against another metal wall, were Hound, Inferno and Jazz. Through unrelenting Decepticon laser fire whizzing noisily between him and his soldiers, Optimus could hear Hound's pessimism growing.

"It's hopeless! The Decepticons have us pinned down. No way we're getting out of Altihex in one piece!"

Hound was right. The Decepticons had cut off their escape from Altihex city. Optimus considered his words of hopelessness momentarily.

Then Jazz spoke.

"Pull it together, Hound. We'll get out of here. We didn't get this far just to die now."

His first lieutenant's voice was calm and cool; it always was. Optimus silently marvelled at Jazz's collected 'coolness' no matter what situation he was in. Always calm, always collected. Jazz was indispensable to him. He always knew exactly what to say to the troops to give them hope in hopeless-looking situations.

Optimus turned on the com-link in his helmet.

"Any ideas, Jazz?" he asked.

He turned his head slightly to see Jazz smile at him from the other side.

"Maybe. The Decepticons may have the bigger guns, sir, but we got a few tricks up our plates."

From Jazz's arm popped out three grenade-like weapons. He took hold of them in one hand and prepared to throw them.

"Get ready to roll, guys," he instructed.

He tossed the grenades in the direction of gunfire from behind his wall cover. Thick plumes of smoke rose as soon as the grenades clattered to the ground.

Optimus reacted instantly.

"Autobots, move!" he shouted to them.

There were the sounds of running feet, then engines and wheels as the Autobots made their escape through the heavy smoke clouds.

* * *

"What would I have done without you at those times, Jazz? You were always there beside me right from the beginning, along with Ironhide and Ratchet. But now…"

* * *

Optimus looked down mournfully at the torn halves of his first lieutenant in his cradling arms. He was utterly still and lifeless. Optimus held the halves of his body closer to him.

"Ohhh, Jazz…"

_We didn't get this far just to die now._

* * *

"You made it this far with me to Earth, old friend. You were not supposed to leave me yet…

We have lost too many brothers too soon in our war.

Jazz…I can still feel the weight of your torn body in my arms… It is burdening…"


	2. Unrealised

Chapters 1 & 2 were originally one long chapter, so i split them up. That's why this 2nd chapter's shorter than the first.

I'm gonna break a couple of hearts with this chapter! It follows on from the intimacy between Elita-One and Optimus in my last fic "In Your Arms".

Bear in mind here that Elita-One is the purple Arcee motorcycle.

Btw, thank you Jesus Luvs Everyone and optimus prime 007 for my first comments!

Chapter 2: Unrealised

"Continuing voice journal entry 146.

The annihilation of those close and dear to me… I cannot bear it anymore…"

* * *

[N.E.S.T. base, Diego Garcia, two days ago.]

Optimus stood alone inside the Autobot hanger, quietly contemplating. The sound of a motorcycle engine approached him from behind.

"Optimus?"

It was Elita-One's beautiful siren voice. She crossed her hands, one on top of the other, nervously.

"Would…would you like to walk with me outside? It's a beautiful day and…"

Optimus did not turn around to face her.

"I cannot, Elita."

Elita paused, formulating a response. She then continued.

"Oh, well, that's fine. I know you're very busy…"

"I cannot return your feelings."

Elita paused again, staring in confusion at Optimus's vast back.

"But I thought that we…that is, don't you feel anything…about us?"

"There can be no 'us', Elita." His voice was firm and emotionless. "Not as long as we are at war and lives hang in the balance."

Elita rolled across to Optimus's large leg and reached out a slender hand to touch him.

"Optimus, I am fully aware of the risks…," she began.

Optimus immediately pulled back from her.

"No, Elita. I'm afraid you are not."

"We cannot let this war diminish our existences!" Elita had taken on a pleading tone. It tore at Optimus's spark.

"I…am sorry, Elita…"

Optimus gathered all his emotional strength. He turned his head further away from her, hiding the pain in his face that could betray his true emotions.

"…I do not want you…"

It was a lie. It was a terrible, spark-wrenching lie. Optimus endured it and maintained his stone-cold composure in front of Elita. But he watched her from the corner of his optics.

Elita's soft optics fell slowly. Her whole small body seemed to drop, as if suddenly it was too heavy for her to continue holding up. Half of Optimus immediately regretted causing her such pain. She seemed so delicate then, so fragile. Optimus was almost afraid that she would collapse before him. He wanted to reach out and hold her, pick her up and cradle her close to him. He resisted.

"As you wish." Her voice was lifeless.

Optimus's optics dulled as Elita turned away from him and moved to exit the hanger. She stopped at the hanger entranceway and turned her head back to Optimus. Her optics were heavy with sadness.

"I am saddened," Elita softly stated, "not for myself, but for you, Optimus."

With that, she rolled away.

Optimus turned and laid an arm heavily upon the wall behind him. His head fell. His hands curled into tight fists. Silently, he roared inside.

* * *

"You do not understand, Elita. You do not know the pain of losing so many loved ones. Jazz, Alpha Trion, the Primes that were my family…

I pushed you away to protect us both…from grief.

It hurts me to deny you, Elita. More than you will ever know. But I cannot allow you in. I am an island, apart from others. Alone. We are at war. I cannot bear to love and lose you. And I will not subject you to the possibility of that pain either. Never again.

Farewell, my unrealised love."


	3. To Serve Mankind

Many thanks again for reviews. The last chapter certainly got a couple of strong responses! If it pains some of you to see Optimus and Elita apart, then i suggest patience and sticking around to the end of this fic.

For the time being though, Optimus has others issues to deal with...

Chapter 3: To Serve Mankind

"Access code: Island. Voice journal entry 147. Earth date: January 24th, 2010.

The voices of the Primes came to me again today. Around me, inside me. Persistent yet still inaudible. And the sensation of rising heat in my spark returned briefly. It felt to have spread through my chest and abdominal regions before settling again. I am finding it difficult to express what I am feeling increasingly frequently now. It is as if something is…pulling me…pulling my optics to the Matrix resting by my side… The experiences come at unexpected moments, but I have managed to maintain my composure in front of others during these 'incidents'. I do not want to raise unnecessary concern. Perhaps the answers to my 'condition' will present themselves in time.

I have not been able to bring myself to face Elita for the last eleven Earth days since we last…spoke. I suspect she does not wish to face me again anytime soon either. We are as distanced as the Sun and the Moon in Earth's sky. And like day and night, we cannot seem to be present at the same time. But I expected such would be the case after what I did to her…to us. I can only hope for your forgiveness and understanding, Elita.

Both a welcome distraction and yet another pressing concern for me has been the fragility of the human-Autobot alliance. The U.S. National Security Advisor, Director Theodore Galloway, visited for an impromptu meeting with me yesterday. He informed us of the growing public suspicion and fear of 'alien robots' and the difficulty of continuing to keep our presence on Earth a secret. The Fallen's worldwide broadcast compromised all efforts to maintain our disguise to the general human population. I do not doubt that it will be long before the existence of Cybertronians on Earth is widespread knowledge. I and all Earthbound Autobots will need to prepare for the possibility of negative reception from the human public in future.

Jazz's cultural adaptation skills and ability to maintain calm under pressure would have been invaluable here. I wish he was here.

In addition to the daunting task of trying to build human-Autobot relations, we also must continue our mission of priority on Earth: to protect the planet and its inhabitants from our Decepticon foes. Earth is our new home. We are indebted to the humans for extending their welcome to us and offering us sanctuary on their planet, and for aiding us willingly in our fight against the Decepticons. They have sacrificed precious men to help us. We must do everything in our power to see that Earth does not suffer the same fate as Cybertron and other worlds that the Decepticons have ravaged.

But it is not only the humans that are growing restless with our presence here on Earth…"

* * *

[Communications hanger at N.E.S.T. base, Diego Garcia, twenty-four hours ago.]

The U.S. National Security Advisor, Director Theodore Galloway, stood on the raised metal balcony facing Optimus Prime once again, as he had done six months ago. Ironhide and Sideswipe were flanking their leader from behind. Major Lennox and Sergeant Epps stood at the side of the raised balcony watching the proceedings, along with other N.E.S.T. soldiers and personnel.

"I have been told of the archaeological evidence of early members of your species that were uncovered in Egypt, the Tomb of the Primes," Director Galloway sternly said, "I hear the Fallen was supposed to be one of these early Cybertronians you call the Primes, and you as well, Optimus, hence your title of 'Prime'. So is it not true that you and the Fallen are of the same 'family' so to speak?"

Optimus paused, narrowing his gaze at his interrogator.

"Yes. We are both Primes by origin."

Galloway raised an accusing finger at Optimus.

"So how do we know that you don't possess an agenda similar to The Fallen's? How do we know that you aren't planning to drain our Sun too? Isn't that something all your earliest ancestors did?"

The mouths of Lennox, Epps and most of the watching N.E.S.T. human audience dropped in shock at Galloway's bluntness. Ironhide suddenly moved forward with startling speed and force toward the balcony where Galloway stood.

"Oh he's in for it now," Epps muttered to Lennox next to him.

"You've got some nerve, human!" Ironhide dangerously growled. "Do you know who you're talking to?!"

Optimus held out his arm and blocked Ironhide's advance.

"Easy, Ironhide. Step back. Director Galloway is entitled to ask. There may be others who are wondering the same thing."

Ironhide grunted and grudgingly retreated back, but he did not remove his intense blue glare from Galloway. Galloway straightened his tie and collected his nerves once more. Optimus spoke.

"It is true that The Fallen and I are connected by shared Prime origins. But you imply that shared heritage makes us alike somehow. Is it not common for members of your own families to differ radically from one individual to another? Would you automatically judge a nephew to be guilty of the same crimes his uncle may have performed? This is how you judge me now. And from what I know, my Prime ancestors by majority valued life. The Fallen was the tragic exception."

"Are there anymore like you out there? Could there be anymore 'Fallens'?" Galloway pressed seriously.

Optimus's vibrant royal blue optics dimmed slightly.

"To our knowledge, I am the last Prime."

Galloway turned to address his human audience.

"I guess we should be counting ourselves fortunate that some of the alien arrivals on our planet since 2007 have been on our side then," Galloway remarked in a sarcastic tone. "But who can be sure? Does it not seem a little too good to be true that these Autobots are on the side of the angels? They've refused to share their weapons technology with us, yet we share ours with them! What if working with us humans is simply a clever strategy to earn our trust, learn our offensive capabilities and lower our defences for a take-over later? Heck, for all we know, these so called 'Autobots' may be in league with the Decepticons!"

From behind Optimus, Sideswipe snapped. He raced forward and raised a bladed arm threateningly at Galloway. Galloway stepped back in fright. Every other human looked in shock and surprise at the angered silver Autobot.

"Wretched human filth! You dare accuse us of deception?!"

"Stand down, Sideswipe!" Optimus ordered.

"No, Optimus! We save their lives and they treat us with contempt!"

Optimus's optics narrowed sternly at Sideswipe.

"Enough! There will be no fighting between their people and ours!"

"But…"

"Ironhide, escort Sideswipe outside. I will speak with him in a moment."

Ironhide wordlessly went over to Sideswipe and led him out of the hanger. Optimus turned back to his stunned human audience.

"My apologies, but I think it would be best if we called an end to this discussion at present. I need to speak with my Autobots. Please excuse us, Gentlemen."

Optimus turned and departed the communications hanger. There was a nervous silence left in his wake.


	4. Fallout

Many thanks for the enthusiastic reviews readers! Glad i've managed to grab your attentions.

After Sideswipe's outburst in an unpleasant meeting with Director Galloway last chapter, Optimus was forced to break off from his discussion with the N. S. A.. Now Optimus will need to have a few words with Sideswipe...

Chapter 4: Fallout

"Continuing voice journal entry 147.

Despite his bluntness and suspicion, Director Galloway was not completely without reason or logic. He raised valid questions and understandable concerns from an outside human perspective. His accusations against our intentions for Earth and the human race may be untrue, but he has been perceptive enough to raise the issue of my ancestry, my link to the Fallen, and what this may mean for the future.

I have never known the Primes of which I am the last, and there remains always a haze in my knowledge and understanding of them. My visions and dreams of the past have been incomplete, jumbled and possibly unreliable. I cannot know the Primes of old in their entirety. How can I be certain of anything about them? My assurances to others and myself about my ancestry are based much on my own feelings.

Director Galloway probed me for any semblance of the Fallen's drive for solar energy. It was an uncomfortable topic not because it was a false accusation, but because I fear the partial truth of his suspicions regarding the mission of the first Primes. However we may dress it, the fact remains that they drained and fed on the energy of suns. I am reminded of this fact whenever I look up at Earth's sun.

Cybertron was always cold and dark, lit only by small stars. The brightness and warmth of Earth's sun is marvellous to bask in. And when I am lulled in her warming embrace, I feel the heat rising inside of me again…

Speak of other things…

Sideswipe…

Hot Rod…

The young can be so full of anger at times, but it is only because of fear and insecurity. They do not have the experience and wisdom of age and their actions can be rash. Yet they must be allowed the freedom to choose for themselves, painful and treacherous as it may be, otherwise how do they learn? And how can you earn their trust if you force them to follow you?"

* * *

[Cybertron, city-state of Tyger Pax, during the Autobot-Decepticon War.]

"Optimus, stop being so stubborn! Tyger Pax will fall to the Decepticons sooner or later! Why are we hanging around here? We need to be pulling out!"

Hot Rod was arguing with Optimus in the command room of the Tyger Pax Autobot base.

"Tyger Pax must be defended. It is one of few remaining sanctuaries. There is too much that is important here. We cannot lose it to Megatron."

"Wake up and smell the oil! We're dead engines here! You know the Decepticons have enough firepower to waste us all in a night! This is a battle we can't win! You have to accept that and let this place go. You can't protect everything."

"I am sorry, Hot Rod, but I cannot abandon Tyger Pax to the Decepticons. I am not going anywhere."

Optimus stood unmoving and resolute as he said it.

"Then you'll be staying without me. I'm removing myself from your command, Optimus. I and some others are not willing to risk our lives for a hopeless goal. We'll be leaving in five cycles."

Hot Rod turned and headed for the command room doors. He looked back at Optimus when he reached them.

"You know what I think, Optimus? I think you're just too attached to this old place," he said firmly, "It's not worth it."

He pushed a button on the wall and walked out the open doorway. The doors slid closed after him.

Optimus's royal blue optics fell to the shiny metal floor beneath him. He quietly watched his own unwavering reflection.

* * *

"Hot Rod left us at Tyger Pax. We managed to protect it from the Decepticons, though not without a heavy price. I lost thirty-two good Autobots.

I have not seen Hot Rod again since then. I pray that he is safe wherever he is now.

His memory still seems to echo to this day though through others.

The fallouts are inevitable…"

* * *

[Autobot hanger, N.E.S.T. base, Diego Garcia, twenty-four hours ago.]

Sideswipe was leaned against a wall with his arms folded. Ironhide watched him silently. They heard the heavy metal footsteps of their leader enter the hanger.

Optimus came to a halt in front of Sideswipe. The silver Autobot warrior dropped his arms.

"Optimus, how can you stand for that human's blunt disrespect and narrow-mindedness?!" Sideswipe fumed angrily. "He and others of his kind presume to dictate us and watch us like spy cameras! They treat us like 'we're' the enemies sometimes! After all we do to protect them from the Decepticons, they still can treat us like garbage and savages!"

Sideswipe regarded his leader with a mix of curiosity and nervousness when he remained silent for an uncomfortable few moments.

"Are you finished?" Optimus asked calmly.

Sideswipe fell into a cautious silence and listened.

"We cannot afford this, Sideswipe. We cannot afford to strain our alliance with the humans. We are on their world and must respect their laws and demands. Your temper would jeopardise our partnership with them, a partnership that has been beneficial to both our races. We have strived for over two Earth years to build trust between our peoples. I will not allow us to throw those efforts away senselessly."

"Have you lost your pride, Optimus? Your dignity? You let them insult you and us! Why are we putting so much effort into defending and helping these creatures? What do we owe them? We have lost Jazz. We nearly lost Arcee and Elita-One in Egypt. We lost the old seeker, Jetfire. What are we sacrificing our brothers and sisters for?"

A look of disappointment seemed to descend over Optimus's face. A pang of regret slithered into Sideswipe, but he didn't show it.

"Sideswipe, we have lost brothers, but so have our human allies. They have sacrificed valuable and precious soldiers to support us in our war against the Decepticons. Many died during the assault launched by The Fallen. We may not have been able to defeat The Fallen and drive back Megatron and his forces without the help of our human allies. Have you forgotten that? Our friend, Samuel Witwicky, went to extraordinary lengths to save me from deactivation and recovered one of Cybertron's great lost treasures, the Matrix of Leadership. The humans have welcomed us, alien foreigners, onto their planet, providing us sanctuary and a new home. We have brought our war to Earth and they still willingly chose to join us in battling the Decepticons. We are indebted to them for everything they have done for us."

The blue optics of Ironhide and Sideswipe were fixed on Optimus as they listened to his words.

"Many humans are alarmed by our obvious differences. We are unknown and dangerous to them. Fear and suspicion are understandable reactions. We may have to face yet more such negative reception in time to come. But we share much in common. The capacity for good and evil exists in both our races. Humans are as susceptible to self-destructive war as we are, and they are also capable of great compassion and peace."

Optimus paused. His head bowed.

"The destinies of the Cybertronian and human races are now intertwined. We have dragged innocent humans into our conflict, but we cannot allow them to pay the price for it. We will not leave Earth unprotected and at the mercy of the Decepticons. The humans will not suffer the same fate and prospect of annihilation and extinction as we do."

Optimus's blue optics shone a soft light as they focused on Sideswipe again.

"I cannot force you to agree with me, Sideswipe, but do you understand? Do you understand how we are stronger united with the humans? How if we fail in our duty to protect them from our foes, they will die because of us?"

Sideswipe's optics narrowed.

"I'm not so sure I'm willing to die to protect these creatures, Prime."

Optimus looked sadly at Sideswipe.

"Your brother died defending something important."

On instinct, Sideswipe threw his fist across Optimus's face. The Autobot leader's head jerked sideways. Ironhide raced to his leader's side. Sideswipe backed up, optics wide in shock.

"Optimus, I…I'm sorry… I didn't mean to…"

Optimus's head remained turned away from Sideswipe. He dropped it down to his shoulder silently. His optics had darkened.

"Sideswipe, outside, now!" Ironhide instructed sternly, looking at him sharply.

Sideswipe obeyed and hurriedly rolled out of the hanger. His head was hung low.

Ironhide looked back up at his leader in concern.

"Optimus, are you alright?"

The Autobot leader's tilted face seemed to have darkened as well as his optics. He uttered barely audible words.

"It's not worth it…"


	5. Being Prime

Thank you for reviews as always, folks!

I've had a couple of readers that seem to have taken Optimus's last line in the previous chapter in a way i had not intended. "It's not worth it..." was actually a repetition of Hot Rod's last line in Optimus's flashback of the last time he saw him. It was meant to be a reference linking back to the past, not so much expressing Optimus's thoughts toward helping the humans. Hope that clarifies it for some of you.

And now we delve deep again into Optimus's thoughts on...

Chapter 5: Being Prime

"Access code: Island. Voice journal entry 148. Earth date: January 29th, 2010.

The Matrix seems to take on a life of its own. It tugs at me, pulls me, draws me to it. But I do not know why. When I shut off my optics, I can see burning fire… And the heat in my spark grows stronger and more consuming. I can almost feel myself feeding off it…

My behaviour has altered. I have become…more introverted than usual. I seek privacy more often. The other Autobots have not failed to notice the changes in me. They have been concerned. I had hoped to avoid that. Ironhide has queried me about what is bothering me. I cannot tell him…for I am not sure myself.

I find myself returning to the question: what does it mean to be a Prime? I am sure that has something to do with what is happening to me at this time. But as ever, it is a question I do not know a sufficient answer to.

I do know though that it is not a title that comes without a price.

It has involved for me the loss of an old life that was peacefully ignorant and safe. When I became known as 'Prime', war descended on Cybertron. 'Optimus' became 'Optimus Prime'.

* * *

[Cybertron, early in the Autobot-Decepticon War.]

Optimus walked down a hallway accompanied by Ironhide. His expression was one of focused concentration and he kept his head tilted down. Ironhide was talking next to him.

"Prime, this forthcoming battle's going to be big. Some of our troops are a little scared. Perhaps it would be good if you gave them a little motivational war speech? Y'know, let 'em see and hear their Prime leader standing strong."

Optimus let out a small sigh. Ironhide raised an optic ridge at him.

"Prime?"

Optimus stopped walking and looked at Ironhide. A tired expression hung on his face

"Ironhide, I would prefer it if you would just call me 'Optimus', like you always used to."

A puzzled look came over Ironhide's face.

"Sir?"

"It is just…ever since they matched those symbols on the ancient relics to the ones on my head and body, everyone has been calling me 'Prime'. How can any of us even be sure I am one?"

"Matching symbols? You think that's coincidence? And you said yourself that Alpha Trion confirmed you as a Prime."

"I didn't say he 'confirmed' it. He just…called me 'Optimus Prime'."

"That's confirmation enough of your title."

"Ironhide, we are at war. I do not see the benefit of dwelling on unproven legends at this critical time. As far as we have ever known, the Primes were merely a myth we heard about as younglings. And we believed them all to be wiped out. I am not some great long lost descendent of the fabled Dynasty of Primes. It is highly improbable. I could not be. I have always been simply Optimus."

Optimus resumed his walk down the hallway. Ironhide followed.

"Listen, Optimus, if it makes you feel better, I'll call you by your first name. But you should know that to your soldiers, you are 'Optimus Prime'."

Optimus cast a brief unsettled glance at Ironhide. They stopped at a set of sliding doors which opened automatically and stepped out into a room full of Autobot soldiers. The crowd of Autobot warriors looked up respectfully at the regal and tall form of their leader.

"Prime…" Optimus heard their acknowledging whispers, their voices full of hope.

Ironhide lowered his voice for his leader's audios only.

"You may not believe it, Optimus, but they do. Will you deny them their faith in you?"

* * *

"They called me 'Prime'. But I did not know and still do not fully understand what that means.

I only do what I must do…"

* * *

[Cybertron, during the Autobot-Decepticon War.]

Optimus and a few other Autobots were kneeling behind rock covers. They were engaged in a fire-fight with Decepticons.

"Optimus, it's too dangerous! We're in the middle of a battle here," Prowl cried out as he fired at the Decepticons from behind his rock cover.

"And Bumblebee could be down there in need of rescue," Optimus countered. He looked in the direction of a distant ravine intently.

"You don't know that for certain, sir!" Prowl protested.

"That's why we have to check the area."

Optimus turned and nodded at Ratchet beside him. Ratchet gave an acknowledging nod back.

"Ready when you are, Optimus," he stated.

Optimus returned his attention back to Prowl briefly.

Prowl attempted a final warning. "You move from here and you could get hit!"

"Give us what cover fire you can, Prowl," Optimus ordered determinedly, "Ratchet and I are going in to search for him."

The Autobot leader quickly turned to Ratchet again and hand-signalled him to follow. Prowl shook his head in disbelief and began unloading a rapid round of gunfire as his leader and the green medic-bot lifted themselves from their kneeling positions on the ground and moved.

Optimus and Ratchet transformed into their Cybertronian vehicular modes and made a dash across the clearest path on the battlefield. The sounds of nearby gunfire filled their audios as they approached the edge of a steep ravine and transformed back into robot modes.

Ratchet began pulling out a long cord and lowering it down into the ravine. Whilst he was busy preparing the cord to pull Optimus up with later, Optimus jumped over the edge. His feet slid down the smooth sides of the ravine until he arrived at the bottom.

There, lying prone and damaged in the middle of the ravine floor, was Bumblebee. The yellow Autobot had lost a leg and was unable to get up. Optimus ran over to him and knelt down beside him.

"Take it easy, Bumblebee. We're going to get you out of here."

There was obvious relief in Bumblebee's wide round optics as he looked up at his leader. Optimus saw that his body bore the dents, burns and marks of heavy battle and a hard fall down into the ravine.

"Optimus…," Bumblebee said weakly, "you found me. How…?"

"Don't talk, soldier," Optimus calmly instructed as he prepared to lift Bumblebee up in his arms.

Suddenly, Optimus heard the screeching of an incoming missile from behind him. Reacting instantly, he dropped himself and Bumblebee to the ground, covering Bumblebee with his own body. Then the explosion hit them.

* * *

"We miraculously survived. I got back up with only a few burns and scratches across my back. And I had managed to shield Bumblebee from the worst of the explosion.

Luck? Considering how I have survived this long through the war, one might say I have been fortunate. So close to danger in so many battles…how have I lived when others have perished? And what of the times I have been 'guided' to courses of action and goals? Bumblebee had disappeared in the battle, no-one knew where. How did I know to look for him in the ravine? Sometimes, it feels like there are greater forces at work in me.

Being a Prime. Could that have had anything to do with my 'unusual luck' in times past? Surviving missiles and bombs, knowing impossible things, the surprising quickness with which I found myself able to take up arms and fight powerful enemies… Megatron has commented before that I am a 'born warrior' at spark. Perhaps for much longer than me, Megatron has known for certain of my Prime ancestry from his master, the Fallen. Never in my peaceful time as a ruler of Cybertron did I believe I was programmed for combat. The discovery of a natural ease to warfare in me has been unnerving at times.

I am constantly led to unanswerable questions about myself: what am I capable of? What is my purpose? What am I?

Why have I been seeing the strange visions and dreams, hearing the voices and feeling this building energy within recently? Why does the Matrix seem to beckon me? What is it about myself that remains unknown?

Alpha Trion, my mentor, called me 'special' on many occasions as I was maturing. I used to be confused when he called me that. I could not know what he meant at those times. I do now.

There are times…I wish I was not 'special' anymore."


	6. Faith in Prime

Ronnie Ravello - Galloway comes across to me as the Movie-verse's equivalent to TFA's Sentinel Prime too.

We take a break now from Optimus's voice journal recording narrative and move over to the perspectives of the other Autobots in this chapter. What have they been noticing and thinking of their leader's recent behaviour?

Oh, and Elita-One goes to have a word with Optimus too...

Pheonix13, if you're reading this, i think you'll enjoy this particular chapter!

Note about time units:

a deca-cycle = about a month

a mega-cycle = just under 4 days.

Chapter 6: Faith in Prime

At the N.E.S.T. base of operations on Diego Garcia, Ratchet, Bumblebee, Sideswipe, Jolt, Chromia, Arcee and Elita-One stood waiting outside in a storage area under the bright early afternoon sun. They turned upon hearing the sounds of a car engine approach them. Ironhide, in his black GMC Topkick truck mode, pulled up to them and transformed.

"Well?" Ratchet asked expectantly.

"He told me nothing," Ironhide sighed heavily, "Just said not to be concerned for him."

"How can we not? Something's bothering Optimus and he's keeping it to himself," Arcee firmly stated.

Bumblebee channelled a musical radio transmission to voice his thoughts.

"He's a closed door..."

Ratchet lay his hand over his head in exasperation.

"We need to know what is troubling him. He has been growing increasingly…distant and distracted over the last deca-cycle. He tries to avoid company on many occasions. It's like he's retreating further within himself. We've all observed him."

Ironhide shook his head slowly.

"I know Optimus. He'll only talk about his concerns if he believes it'll affect others. Otherwise, he has a habit of keeping things to himself. He tries to deal with personal issues on his own where possible."

"So you think he's suffering from a 'personal' problem?" Chromia questioned.

Sideswipe's head lowered in a guilty manner.

"I may be to blame…I…I struck him over three mega-cycles ago after the meeting with the human Galloway," he admitted.

"No," Ironhide said in a rare tone of reassurance, "you're not the problem, Sideswipe. It's something else, something affecting Optimus on a deeper level."

Between them, Arcee and Chromia noticed their sister, Elita-One, shifting nervously.

"What's on your mind, sister?" Arcee gently asked.

Elita-One looked at her red sister uncomfortably. Chromia moved closer to her.

"You've been locking us out for deca-cycles, Elita," Chromia pressed, "You're not sharing something with us."

"We have seen you avoiding Optimus recently. Has something happened between you and him?" Arcee questioned in a gentle but firm tone.

Elita-One withdrew further back from her sisters.

"I must speak to Optimus," she stated softly.

With that, she hastily left the Autobot group. Arcee and Chromia looked to one another in confusion and concern at their sister's sudden departure whilst the other Autobots watched her rapidly retreating motorcycle form in curiosity.

Jolt asked the question on all their processors:

"What's up with her?"

* * *

Outside one of the Autobots' private hangers, the Autobot Twins in car modes had parked discreetly beside a few military jeeps. Sat inside Skids were a bored-looking Major Lennox and Sergeant Epps and a hyper little Wheelie.

"What are we doing here again?" Lennox groaned.

"Spying on Optimus Prime!" Skids replied in annoyance through his vehicle mode's internal loudspeakers.

"I don't think it's right for us to be doing this," Epps doubtfully commented, "Don't think the big guy would appreciate been watched."

"And here we thought you two men were military 'grade', not military 'wimps'!" Mudflap's voice mocked over his brother's internal loudspeakers.

Lennox and Epps pulled disgruntled faces at Skids' loudspeakers.

"The boss bot ain't been himself lately. We need to find out why," Skids declared, "We just need to keep our optics, um, and eyeballs, open on him."

The small expressive face of Wheelie popped up between Lennox and Epps' shoulders.

"Hey, I got a bit of tantalising info you all might like to hear," Wheelie eagerly offered, "I saw the big boss and the hot purple fembot been rather cosy with one another back about a month ago. Then suddenly they were avoiding each other like, er, different countries or something."

Lennox turned his head to face the mini former Decepticon, an unconvinced expression on his face.

"You robots can get 'cosy' with one another?" he asked disbelievingly, "As in you form male/female relationships like we do?"

Epps blinked a few times as he began to ponder unsettling thoughts associated with his friend's questions.

Wheelie nodded rapidly.

"Oh sure, fleshy! Male and female Cybertronians can be attracted to one another."

"Of course! That's it!" Skids suddenly cried, startling Lennox and Epps in their seats, "Optimus Prime has been moody coz he's lovesick for Elita-One!"

"Maybe they been moonlighting together!" Mudflap enthusiastically added to his brother's conclusion.

Epps and Lennox stared at one another speechless for a second.

"Optimus Prime in love? You've got to be kidding us!" Epps contested.

"Nu uh! That's gotta be it!" Skids argued.

"This is crazy!" Lennox cried, "Optimus Prime cannot be lovesick!"

"Bet ya that he can!" Mudflap challenged.

"Two cans of high-grade oil if we're right!" Skids demanded.

"Hey! I want in on that bet too!" Wheelie shouted from behind Epps and Lennox.

"Three cans then!" Skids corrected.

Lennox slapped a hand over his face.

"This is ridiculous. Fine, whatever."

"Hey! Hey! Check it out! Elita-One just arrived on scene!" Mudflap suddenly alerted.

Lennox, Epps and Wheelie leaned forward in their seats to visually confirm Mudflap's alert. Through Skids' front window, they spotted the purple motorcycle form of Elita-One entering the Autobot private hanger in the distance.

"See!" Skids declared triumphantly, "She's gone in to see him!"

Epps rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, probably just for a briefing or to report something."

The sergeant realised his intended hearers weren't listening.

* * *

Inside the Autobot private hanger, Elita-One found Optimus leaning with an extended arm against a wall. His other hand was pressed onto the centre of his chest. His optics were dim and he did not seem to notice Elita's entry. Elita could not be sure whether he was deep in thought, weary or in pain.

She had avoided him for about an Earth month since he had refused her. It had not been out of bitterness though, just sadness. She steadied herself before calling him.

"Optimus? Are you alright?"

Optimus's optics suddenly lit up and he immediately turned himself to face her, straightening up and dropping his hands from his chest and the wall to his sides.

"Elita, can I help you?"

His voice seemed strained somehow.

"Optimus, we all can see that something has been troubling you over the past deca-cycle, and we're worried…," Elita said gently, "Is it…is it…me? Us?"

Elita's optics began to descend as she spoke the last words.

Optimus's deep royal blue optics widened.

"If it is," Elita quickly continued, "you must know I bear you no animosity for what you did…"

"No, Elita," Optimus interjected, "It's…it's not you at all. I mean…I have thought of…wanted yo…"

Optimus stopped himself abruptly. He saw Elita's gaze had become intense and a glimmer of…hope had seeped into them. He brought his hand over his optics wearily.

"No, it's nothing to do with you, Elita," Optimus stated finally.

"Then what is it? Tell me what is bothering you, Optimus," Elita softly pleaded.

There was pause. Optimus's hand dropped from his face to his chest, covering the area over his spark chamber. Elita noted that it was the spot where she had once pressed herself against on a previous trip to Alaska. Optimus had carried her in his arms through the snow and she had been drawn to an unusual warmth emanating from his chest. But she had not thought deeply about it after returning from Alaska.

Optimus's optic ridges tightened, as if enduring pain, or waking from a dream. Elita could not tell.

"Do you have faith in me, Elita?" Optimus suddenly asked.

Elita blinked in surprise.

"Yes. Yes, of course I do," she answered confidently.

"Then I ask you and the others to have faith that I will find out the meaning behind all of this," Optimus gently spoke.

Elita drew a little closer to her leader.

"Optimus, what are you talking about?" she whispered in confusion.

Optimus's optics flickered unsteadily in their intensity.

"I am…not sure yet…," he uttered.

Elita instinctively reached out her slender fingers to Optimus.

"Optimus, let me, us, help you," she gently pleaded again.

Optimus drew back gracefully from her.

"I have to do this alone," he murmured, "I need you to trust me on this."

Elita's head dropped in acceptance. She did not know what it was that her leader was working through, but she had always trusted him and would continue to do so, no matter what the situation.

"You have my trust, my faith, Optimus. Always," she breathed.

Optimus fell to one knee before Elita. He slipped a large finger under her tiny chin and lifted her face up to his. Their brilliant blue gazes met in a brief and wonderful moment. Then suddenly, Optimus seemed to realise what he was doing. He recoiled from his touch of Elita's face. Elita's expression fell in undisguised disappointment.

Wordlessly, Optimus turned away from her and made his way out of the hanger. Elita was left standing alone, hugging herself.

* * *

Outside, hidden a safe distance away from the Autobot private hanger, the Autobot Twins in car mode, Wheelie, Major Lennox and Sergeant Epps watched in keen interest as Optimus Prime exited the compound.

Wheelie glanced at his two human co-spies from over their shoulders.

"Hey, you guys think that maybe they were doing…"

"Shut up, Wheelie!" Lennox and Epps shouted in unison.


	7. The Arcee Problem

I wrote this after reading the final Arcee issue of the "Tales of The Fallen" comic series. I decided to incorporate the issue's back-story for the ROTF Arcee triplets and develop it slightly for this story to explain the different names and characters of the three Arcee fembots that I have been using. It was an interesting exercise writing this as i've had to write from a plural 'we' perspective and move between the differing points of views of the Arcee triplets occasionally. I start off with the combined voices of the Arcee triplets then move into the opinions of one or two of them toward the end. She's a fascinating psychological oddity.

This chapter again is a break away from Optimus's voice journal narration. It delves into the Arcee triplets' experiences and is written in their internal narration. Will be back to good ole' Optimus's persepective next chapter, folks.

Thank you again to those who have been following this story! Reviews are always appreciated. And i hope others are enjoying the read.

Chapter 7: The Arcee Problem

We were given life from one spark. Arcee's.

Captured, in a Decepticon experiment to create new soldiers, Arcee's spark was transferred between three new matured protoform bodies. One became three.

Her spark resisted reprogramming. She remembered she was an Autobot. 'We all' remembered.

Shared consciousness, shared minds, shared perceptions. Her, 'our' skills tripled, 'our' firepower tripled. We saw through three sets of optics; our three minds exchanged thoughts freely; we fought in perfect conjunction with one another, feeling each other's movements, knowing each other's battle plans; our spoken words were divided between us or harmoniously combined. We were three parts of one. Three aspects of the female Autobot warrior, Arcee embodied.

That was how it was initially. It was complicated enough. But we changed even further. We became more…divided.

It began soon after escaping the clutches of our Decepticon captors. Though we were intrinsically linked to one another in body and mind, we quickly began to realise that we each were also capable of independent thought, solitary actions and spontaneous speech. We would know what we each were going to say or do or was thinking, but the capacity for each of us to operate without the others' input or influence became apparent.

What had those Decepticons done to me? To us?

It became…'appropriate' for us to name one another. Our red sister remained most faithful to our mothering Autobot's original programming and spark in words and deeds. She was caring and fiercely protective of others. She remained 'Arcee'. Our blue sister exhibited a confident and forceful personality. We called her 'Chromia'. She seemed to like it. And finally, our purple sister. She displayed a calm focus and was quiet and strangely enigmatic. She reminded us of Arcee's departed comrade, the first original Elita-One, whose spark was extinguished at the hands of Starscream on Cybertron. Our purple sister decided on her own to name herself after 'Elita-One' in her memory.

When we arrived on Earth to finally join Optimus Prime and his team, they were as shocked as we had been to see what had become of their comrade Arcee. Optimus vowed to do everything in his power to look after us. But we do not require particular protection or help. We are the products of a Decepticon experiment to create more soldiers. Arcee's original abilities, skills and firepower are tripled through us. We are not weaker; we are stronger than before.

Since we have arrived here on Earth though, we have felt ourselves growing further apart, becoming separate, becoming individuals. The unavoidable differences in our experiences and interactions with others have been developing our separate senses of characters and desires. We were one, then three parts of one, then finally three linked individuals.

Our mental bond has remained the longest lasting link between all three of us. Even if we were apart or doing different things, we could at least always be aware of each other's innermost thoughts and presences.

But now it seems even our mental bond is breaking.

Elita-One is demonstrating this most strongest. She has been closing herself off from us a little over two deca-cycles now. She is not allowing us access to her mind anymore. We cannot fathom why? And it troubles us.

Could it have anything to do with the strange feelings that we began experiencing about three deca-cycles ago? That was when Elita-One's mental link with us became inconsistent. On some occasions, whilst in the company of Optimus Prime, we had experienced an increasing…'admiration' for our leader as we would stare up at him. A strange fascination that was greater than anything we had ever felt before about him. It was unusual. Arcee had served under Optimus Prime before on Cybertron for a long time and only ever had the highest respect for him, but never…an 'infatuation' of any sort with him. It was soon after arriving on Earth that we had begun to feel instances of fleeting attraction toward our leader. Elita-One had spoken much to him and got to know him well. She divulged little about her conversations with Optimus to us. Then she had followed him on a mission to Alaska. Upon her return, she peculiarly had little to share with us about the mission. She simply told us that "it went well". We could not see her memories of the trip. She would not let us.

Then there was a time we found Elita being offered 'a lift' by Optimus. He had extended his hand out to her, down on his knee. We were all gripped at the same time by an overwhelming adoration of him. We had all been transfixed on Optimus Prime's formidable form. All three of us moved closer to our leader on amorous instinct. Optimus must have been somewhat alarmed at our behaviour, because he promptly stood up and excused himself. There was a shared feeling of embarrassment between all three of us.

It was quickly after that when Elita completely shut herself off from us mentally. She would not explain why. We never experienced the strange attraction toward Optimus Prime again. Had it all stemmed from our sister, Elita's feelings? Had Elita become enamoured with Optimus Prime? Surely not. She should know better than to hold or engage in any such desires for our leader.

Strange. We remember how the original Elita-One, Arcee's fallen comrade, had been highly devoted to Optimus Prime as well. We know they had known each other well before the war began, were close friends certainly, but the first Elita-One had never revealed anything about any relationship she may have had with Optimus before the war. Arcee's, 'our' personal suspicion is that the first Elita-One had harboured deep feelings for Prime, and perhaps he also had similar strong feelings for her, feelings that were never realised before and definitely not after the onset of war. We believe it was the war that had prevented their love from blossoming. They had remained unfulfilled sparks, waiting for the end of war and the opportunity it would bring for them to finally come together. It became a tragic tale of lost love when the original Elita-One perished. Optimus had been devastated at the news of her death which we ourselves had brought upon our arrival to Earth. Rarely had our mothering Autobot, Arcee ever seen him in such a degree of grief. He was silent for two Earth days.

The loss of the first Elita-One, as well as many other dear friends and comrades, surely has impacted deeply on Optimus. He will likely remain reluctant to engage in any deep relationship as long as our war rages. Who can blame him?

We can no longer see into our sister, Elita's mind. We hope she has not abandoned sense and grown feelings for our Prime. It could only end in disappointment. No-one can hope to get too close to Optimus. He has made a fortress around himself. He is ever alone. We all know this.

Perhaps Elita had been experiencing what the humans call 'a crush' on Optimus before? Perhaps we all had been experiencing 'a crush' on him? No doubt plenty of other female Autobots must have experienced an attraction to our noble leader at one point or another in the past back on Cybertron. Everyone could feel there was always something…'special' about him. He was the object of many bots' admiration and respect. So was it our sister, Elita exclusively that had been the source of our previous feelings of attraction to Optimus? Or had it been a common feeling in all three of us?

We cannot be sure anymore of each other's feelings. The dividing gaps between us are growing wider. Are we completely falling apart? Even Chromia is boldly beginning to pursue her own desires. Her link to us has also begun to fluctuate now. We have glimpsed a new growing interest in her. She seems rather fond of Ironhide...

We…'I' do not know whether to be sad or happy for what is happening to us. Like maturing protoforms, we are becoming fully grown, developing our own distinct personalities and learning to be self-reliant. We are turning into true individuals. And the price is separation, the severing of our sister bond.

The experimental tampering of the Decepticons has truly divided what was once Arcee in body, mind and spark.

One day, she will have her vengeance on them. All three of her.


	8. Fearful Symmetry

I say it alot, but thank you to reviewers once again! Nice to hear from a couple of new reviewers too last chapter.

FlyingHope - You should be able to find the Arcee issue #6 of the "Tales of The Fallen" comic series from any good comic shop. Or you could perhaps search for it and order it from somewhere online.

Now we return to Optimus Prime's voice journals. The Autobot leader reveals a little more about his dilemna surrounding Elita-One, and he goes to pay a visit to someone he had hoped he could forget about. The encounter raises dark memories and fears...

Chapter 8: Fearful Symmetry

"Access code: Island. Voice journal entry 149. Earth date: February 10th, 2010.

Elita, I left you behind on Cybertron all those meta-cycles ago. In my illusioned hopes, I believed I would see you again. That once the war was over, we would be reunited. Foolish. How foolish I was. I will never see you again. Our hope of reunion has perished along with you, like so many precious things in this war.

I am laying to rest your memory within myself. But I am reminded of you every day…every time I look upon…her… One of Arcee's sisters. She has named herself after you. But the similarities do not end there. She is as fearless, devoted and patient as you were. Sometimes, it is like you have returned to me in a new form through her. And I cannot help but look upon her affectionately as I did you. Forgive me, Elita.

Perhaps Arcee, as we first knew her, had been more influenced by you than even she herself realised. You and her were good friends and fought together on several occasions back on Cybertron. Arcee has changed dramatically since your departure. She returned to me as not one, but three linked individuals. And one of her three selves, or 'sisters' as we have come to call them, Elita-One, is so alike to you, to the extent even that she has developed natural feelings toward me as I know you did. It is uncanny. Perhaps she was a part of Arcee that had learnt from and been greatly inspired by you. That is the only explanation I can process for the uncanny parallels in personality she reflects from you. And I am drawn to her as I was to you.

I have learnt the danger of fragile hopes though. The loss of you and so many other comrades has taught me that. So I have pushed her away. I cannot bear to lose you a second time… To love her would make her loss even more unbearable… I cannot allow myself… She remains at a distance now, an unrealised love…as you were to me… As long as we are fighting, this is how it must be.

I do not know what torments me more: losing you too soon or never having told you how I felt about you…

Though I still think of you and am reminded of you constantly, the tides of life continue to ever push me forward. The war goes on. And I cannot stop fighting yet. I am compelled to go on. Time to mourn the lost is short. I cannot afford to remain trapped in grief, not when others are relying on me. Other aspects of the past are returning to haunt me as well. The ghosts never lie still. I must find answers to what they want of me.

I must remain strong. Not only for myself, but for everyone that depends on me too. But I have been weakening in recent times. That is why I asked Elita, Arcee's sister, to trust me twelve Earth days ago, though I do not completely trust myself at present. I need your strength, your faith in me again, Elita, even though I somehow know that neither you nor anyone else can help me or understand what it is I am experiencing. 'I' do not understand myself. I am taking risks by going alone through the mist. I cannot explain how or why, but I am being led toward something…something that is both frightening and tempting me…

I was brought back to him…again.

Two Earth days ago. I went to see him. Not out of sympathy, but for answers, answers to the mysterious visions, dreams and voices, the burning heat spreading within, the draw of the Matrix, …answers that could only be provided from another Prime, or former Prime.

Even in death, the Fallen's cold and ancient face leered at me.

I faced him once again through the glass of a containment vessel. Having been granted permission to view the remains of the Fallen kept in a classified N.E.S.T. facility, I stood silently regarding the once vengeful Prime that I had extinguished the spark of with my bare hands. At the time when I had plunged my hand through his body, I had felt no sympathy or pity for him. He had plotted my death, betrayed and destroyed his fellow Primes, threatened to drain the Earth's sun and destroy the planet, and had been the inspirational driving force behind the Decepticons for thousands of meta-cycles.

But as I looked upon his still and dark face for longer, I was reminded that he was once a Prime, one of my forefathers. Briefly, I wondered what could have possessed him to turn against his brother Primes long ago. Had it really all been his own doing? What if he had himself been the pawn of yet another darker force? What if his weaknesses were also my own…?"

* * *

[Cybertron, during the Autobot-Decepticon War.]

Ironhide thrust the Decepticon spy, Hardtop, at the large feet of Optimus Prime. The Decepticon looked up at the imposing masked face of the Autobot leader.

"What an honour to meet the 'great' Optimus Prime," the Decepticon mockingly praised.

Optimus pointed his blaster gun at the fairly small Decepticon's head.

"Since your leader is not here to answer for his unspeakable crimes, you will have to speak in his place," Optimus darkly spoke. "Where is Megatron keeping his new major weapon? The one that he obliterated ten of my Autobots with."

Hardtop cackled maliciously.

"Poor little Autobots. Didn't even know what hit 'em! Guess they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time, eh Prime?"

Suddenly the Decepticon was snatched up by the powerful arms of the Autobot leader and lifted face-to-face with him. Ironhide, who was watching nearby, jerked back involuntarily in surprise at his leader's sudden aggressive action. The anger in Optimus Prime's narrowed optics made the Decepticon Hardtop fall silent, though his stubbornly defiant features remain unmoved.

"I am short on patience at the moment, Decepticon," he uttered dangerously, "Where is it?"

"Go suck on a wheel spike!" Hardtop retorted wittily.

Without warning, Optimus dropped Hardtop onto the ground and roughly dragged him toward the edge of a nearby cliff. As soon as they had reached the cliff edge, Optimus hoisted his Deception captive over a cavernous hole and held him there with one hand clasping his neck tightly. Hardtop could see from the bottom of his red optics that it was a long drop down beneath his dangling feet.

"Talk!" Optimus demanded.

"It doesn't matter what you do, Prime! Sooner or later, all your Autobots are gonna be scrap metal! Megatron will crush your pathetic resistance and claim the Allspark!" Hardtop snarled.

A dark expression passed over Optimus's face. His voice plummeted to cold depths.

"Not while I live."

In sudden fury, Optimus turned round and thrust the Decepticon hard into the ground with his neck-gripping arm. Ironhide flinched at his leader's display of violence and before he could say or do anything, he watched, stunned, as Optimus Prime brought his free hand down on the Decepticon's shocked face and crushed it in one horrific, crunching squeeze.

Optimus watched unfazed as his fingers dug into the Decepticon's face and pressed it into a twisted, mangled mess. There was a brief gurgling sound emitted from the Decepticon's vocaliser before Optimus's powerful grip cut it off. A short spray of dark oil jetted out of the Decepticon's head and splattered across the Autobot leader's face mask.

Optimus Prime finally released his grip of the Decepticon's face and straightened up. The Decepticon Hardtop lay dead at his feet. He stepped over the corpse. Ironhide remained nervously silent as his leader wordlessly walked past him.

Dark oil was dribbling down the face mask of the noble Autobot leader.

* * *

"I have killed brutally and not always in the heat of battle. As the war has progressed, I fear I have been growing steadily more like my enemies in the manner in which I execute them. It is becoming more difficult to draw a line between myself and Megatron at times. I used to believe there were clear boundaries between myself and the Decepticons. I would kill only out of necessity; the Decepticons killed for power, conquest and pleasure. I am not so sure anymore where we differ in our manners of killing.

The war has been long and bitter and I have become weary and hardened. After killing so many times, I have become numbed to the act. I am ashamed to say that it has only become easier to pull the trigger of a gun. I know what I fight for, but my means of fighting can now be just as vicious and cold as my enemies'. I have been fighting too long. The war has changed me.

Perhaps the Fallen and I are more alike than I first realised…

As I stared into his shadowy face, I heard the echoes of his dark whispers.

_We are Primes, the first children of Primus, keepers of the Allspark, rulers of Cybertron, wielders of divine powers, and devourers of suns..._

My hand went to my head. The Fallen's whispers were ringing through my audios as his lifeless face haunted my vision.

_We are born to feed off the energy of suns and leave dead worlds in our wake…_

In my spark, the intense heat was building again. I held my chest. Burning fire spilled through my internal fuel pumps. To my disconcertion, it felt…good…like I was made to feed on fire...

When the heat finally dissipated, I was left feeling empty… My body felt…drained somehow… I was hungry for the fire again…

These sensations are growing stronger and more frequent. I do not know why.

Through the glass, I stared into the dark abyss of the Fallen's offline optics.

The dark abyss stared back."


	9. Powerless

Sorry for the late update, everyone. Some of you may encounter 'processing error' problems uploading documents at the moment. Hopefully fixes the problem soon.

Many thanks again to reviewers of the last chapter. Hoping i can hear from more readers!

Anyway, on with Optimus Prime's internal struggles! In this chapter, the Autobot leader has a rather disturbing dream...or nightmare. And the Matrix of Leadership is having an effect on him...

Chapter 9: Powerless

"Access code: Island. Voice journal entry 150. Earth date: February 12th, 2010.

Death, destruction, conflict…war… It is all I have known for a long, long time.

I am weary. But there is no rest for me. Something drags me on through the drudge of battlefields. And I cannot stop it or protest. It constantly demands every ounce of my strength, my courage, my endurance, my life.

I am powerless to resist that which compels me to fight on. I do not lead and wage war because I want to. I do so because I must, because no one else can.

As the war has gone on, I have felt myself steadily weakening. There is the danger of succumbing to an all-consuming anger, at the bitter losses, the senseless fighting, the mutilation of everything we held dear, the crumbling of our race and world. Sometimes, I just want to burn it all down...

I know I must not give in to the rage and chaos though. I know I must not lose sight of what we fight for. But the war inevitably has left its mark on me. It has changed me significantly. I am harder, driven, brutal. I am not sure what exactly I am anymore.

The worst realisation is that I am powerless to prevent any of it, to stop it, to protect everyone I hold dear from it. It swallows us all into its terrible maw. I am swept away in its dark currents. No matter what I do, even I cannot halt the tides of war.

We have been fighting for victory, for supremacy, for power…but the truth is: we are ultimately powerless in the face of greater forces and events.

Never enough strength, never enough power…powerless…

I fear it, yet need it. The power to change our fates.

In my hand now, the Matrix seems to throb. It feels strangely warm. It calls to me again in silent ways I cannot explain. It is almost as if it desires to be close to me…

The voices of the Primes grow louder in my mind. I still cannot decipher them though. They are jumbled and confusing.

And the dreams…they grow more foreboding…"

* * *

It was a dream. It had to be. The ancient leader of the Primes, Prima, his father, was standing there right ahead of him, majestic, noble and wise as he had been in a long-gone life.

The sands of the Egyptian desert ran over their metal feet, moving gradually yet constantly like the sand in an hourglass. The Sun was large and blinding white in the sky above them, bathing them both in golden warmth and light.

Optimus Prime moved forward toward him, reaching out his hand. Prima did likewise, raising his ancient fingers too. As father and son came within arms-reach of one another, their fingertips touched, ever so delicately. Their gazes rested onto each others' faces. Prima's intricate face reflected his son's incredulous joy. As Optimus marvelled at the miracle of seeing his deceased father standing tall and well before him, an odd thought struck him. Optimus moved his head back slightly, Prima's crowned head also pulled back. Optimus's metallic face formed a frown, Prima's did as well. Prima's actions were mirroring his exactly, like a reflection, Optimus realised.

Suddenly, from some distance behind Prima, a dark and ominous figure appeared. Its burning red optics locked onto the back of Prima. Its taloned hands grasped into fists.

"The Fallen…," Optimus breathed in disbelief.

He thought he heard his father say "Megatron…" at the same time.

Reacting instinctively, Optimus attempted to reach for his father's hand. Prima also attempted to reach for his. But their parallel actions bounced off one another, as if an invisible mirror separated them. The Fallen was slowly approaching Prima to Optimus's dismay. The dark Prime seemed to be radiating intense heat; fiery crimson lines highlighted The Fallen's body, like exposed veins of liquid fire.

As The Fallen drew closer to his target, Optimus heard another set of footsteps behind him. The Autobot leader whirled around. To his surprise, his arch-nemesis, Megatron, stood there menacingly. Prima had also turned round to face his approaching threat.

"Megatron"

"Fallen"

Their surprised voices rang as one.

A beastly growl rumbled from both Megatron's and The Fallen's vocal processors. They lunged for their respective rivals. Optimus met Megatron's charge with his own. They clashed, arms tangling into one another. Megatron's blood-red optics bored into Optimus's.

"Brother fights brother. Our war is eternal," both Megatron and The Fallen's hate-filled voices echoed in their rivals' audio sensors.

From the corner of his optics, Optimus caught sight of Prima and The Fallen battling in a mirroring style to him and Megatron. The bodies of both ancient Primes were now emitting vibrant auras, The Fallen, a fiery red and Prima, a clear brilliant blue.

Summoning a sudden burst of strength, Optimus then broke his wrestle with Megatron and brought his fist across his enemy's face. Chips of the Decepticon leader's face plates flew off from the impact of his punch. Ducking low, Optimus rammed into his opponent's gut, knocking him to the sandy ground. Optimus was upon the floored Megatron in an instant, holding him down. The Autobot leader felt a sensation of intense heat rising within him. He assumed it was his anger at his ex-brother-in-arms.

Optimus cast his optics over to the Primes. A cold wave of dismay hit him as he saw his father lying underneath The Fallen's heated talons. Prima, still radiating a vibrant blue aura, seemed to remain passively still underneath The Fallen's burning fingers, but he was gazing at Optimus. His royal blue optics fell sadly.

"My rising sun…," he uttered.

The Fallen's burning talons had melted through Prima's ancient armour. Abruptly and without warning, The Fallen plunged his burning hand deep into Prima's chest.

To his own shock, Optimus plunged his fist through Megatron's chest armour at the same instant. He felt the Decepticon leader's body convulse. He was repulsed, but his impaling hand continued to twist round in Megatron's chest until his fingers wrapped around the Decepticon leader's spark chamber. He ripped his arm out of Megatron's body, disgusted at himself, but to his horror, he had also taken Megatron's spark in his grasp. He watched his once brother-in-arms silently go offline, his optics darkening.

Optimus's frantic optics immediately raced back to The Fallen and Prima. In a second wave of cold horror, he saw The Fallen had also ripped something bright out of Prima's chest, but it wasn't a spark, it was the legendary Matrix of Leadership, dripping with the life-energon of Prima. Prima's sorrowful optics fell dark. His once vibrant body turned grey.

"NO!" Optimus cried out.

He was vaguely aware of the sensation of rising heat within; it seemed to have spread throughout his body. It felt like it was consuming his whole being.

The Matrix in his grasp, The Fallen then raised his lava-red optics in Optimus's direction.

Optimus's mouth opened. Strange words came out.

"The sun burns. Power is mine."

It was not his voice though. It was the dark voice of The Fallen, coming from his own vocal processor.

"The power of the Primes."

Optimus looked down and realised that he was holding the Matrix of Leadership in his hand now. But something else was terribly wrong. The hands holding the glowing Matrix were not his own. Burning hot dark talons clasped the powerful artefact.

Optimus caught his reflection in the thin silver patterns of the Matrix. His optics zoomed in. He saw that his optics were no longer a brilliant royal blue, they were fiery red. They were the malevolent optics of The Fallen.

The Matrix of Leadership fell out of his hand. He raised both his hands in disbelief. Lines of red heat had spread throughout them and all over his body. His internal temperature was still rising. The heat was fuelling him with an unknown raw power.

The Fallen stood ablaze under the Egyptian Sun, fiery energy rising and pulsing from his entire body. He was terrible yet amazing to behold.

* * *

"As my resolve cracks and my fears swell, his influence in me seems to grow.

He still haunts me in my dreams. The Fallen is dead, but far from gone.

And the Primes…

I see visions of them burning with energy, suns and worlds dying in the aftermath of activated Sun Harvesters, and the Matrix of Leaderhip rotating above their hands and before the Allspark. I have watched them disappearing in blazing balls of light, commanding invisible forces in battle…and Prima's incomprehensible visions of distant futures have flashed before my optics.

The Primes were both blessed and cursed with power. Suns died to feed their divine powers and to replenish the Allspark. Their legacy is both amazing and terrible.

I feel my defences breaking down… I sense something pulling at me…

The Matrix…it glows subtly in my palm now… The heat in my spark returns…

I gaze at the ancient artefact, gripped by its entrancing beauty and mysterious promises.

My doubts surrounding it manifest in the form of a frail question.

"How many suns have perished to fill you with power?""


	10. Revelations

Reviews, favs and hits have all been much appreciated throughout this story's posting. Thank you to everyone who has shown an interest in this fic so far! And especially thank you to all my reviewers!

Answers to Optimus's strange and worrying experiences begin in this chapter with a few interesting revelations about the Matrix and the Primes. Changes are coming...

This chapter will probably have more impact and be better understood if you've read my previous fic "Rising Sun" which introduces the Primes of old.

Just to let you all know, i've planned 13 chapters and 5 epilogues for this fic, so we're getting closer to conclusions. The chapter to follow after this one will be the event that this story has been building up to. Hope you all will find it satisfactory.

Anyways, enjoy this chapter and remember to let me know what you all think in reviews!

Chapter 10: Revelations

"Access code: Island. Voice journal entry 151. Earth date: February 27th, 2010.

I sought solitude an Earth week ago, venturing out on my own onto the sun-coloured beaches of Diego Garcia.

The calls of the Matrix had become incessant. The indecipherable voices in my mind were demanding to be heard. And the rising heat in my spark had been spreading fiercely through my body for the past two Earth weeks. I could not ignore it all anymore.

A light from within the core of the Matrix had been drawing me in my moments of privacy. I would feel a pull in my chest toward the artefact when it glowed. It seemed to whisper my name. But I was uncertain what it desired of me and hesitated to respond to its calls.

As the peaceful sounds of the sea washed against my audios, I regarded the Matrix in my hand. It was glowing again, calling. I held it close to my chest.

My previous merging with the Matrix in Egypt had served to revive me from near death. I did not know what it would do if I attempted a second merge with it, but I knew somehow it held answers to the visions, dreams, voices and sensations I had been experiencing ever since my visit to the tomb of my forefathers. I had to find out what it was trying to tell me.

The Matrix seemed to draw itself to the gap between my chest panels. Next, I could not tell whether it was me or the silver artefact itself that plunged the Matrix into my very being.

Images, memories, scenes familiar and unfamiliar and overwhelming energy flooded me. A sea of data was being downloaded into my processor just as on my first merge with the Matrix. It threatened to send me into stasis-lock. I fell to my knees.

The voices began to grow in volume around me, from scattered whispers to deafening echoes. They called my name…

_Optimus…_

_Optimus Prime…_

_Our last son…_

My hands flew to cover my audio sensors, but there was no reprieve from the sea of voices. They were overwhelming me. I cried out.

"What do you want of me?!"

They stopped abruptly. I heard nothing.

I was still on the beach, on my knees in the sand, but now I could not hear the waves of the sea anymore. I looked out to the sea. It was still. The waves had been frozen in mid-approach to the shore. There was nothing but silence and stillness surrounding me.

A magnetic breeze swept past my face. It drew my head up.

I came face-to-face with a reflection of own royal blue optics. I was looking into the vibrant optics of Prima.

"Father…"

I was trapped somewhere between dream and disbelief.

Bent down to me on one knee, his long and elegant finger tips delicately touched the side of my face. His whole being was radiant with a divine light. His voice echoed softly.

"My precious son, we want only to speak to you."

I became aware of the forms of the other six first Primes, standing in a semi-circle from behind Prima. Their bodies seemed to be haloed in celestial light as well. I remembered their faces from my visions at their Egyptian tomb. I remembered their names.

"Forefathers…"

"We have been waiting for you," Prima resonated.

My father's timeless voice filled me with joy and warmth.

"For hundreds of stellar cycles, by my final request, your guardian and mentor, Alpha Trion, kept you guarded from the Fallen's wrath through secrecy. You were safe in ignorance of your past and origins. But you have also been made vulnerable through that ignorance, living what is a half-life for a Prime. You were never taught to develop the powers of a Prime. You were starved of solar energy and weakened as a result, though you could not know it. For that, I am truly sorry, my son. But ignorance is no longer a possibility now. And with new knowledge comes new power."

On Prima's left, Vector Prime spoke.

"Optimus Prime, you have been feeling the changes within you. The Matrix has been the catalyst. Your ascension has begun and you must be prepared for it."

"Changes? The Matrix? Ascension? I do not understand…," I protested.

"You will, my son," Prima reassured.

The Primes raised their hands and the Matrix was drawn from my chest. It floated up and was suspended in the air above me.

"The Allspark, the life-giving cubic heart of Cybertron, was created from the primal forces of the great singularity that birthed the universe," began Logos Prime.

"It was without conscience and judgement. It simply 'was', existing to grant life and power to Cybertron," Nexus Prime continued, "But its energies were not limitless. It required replenishing from the energy of suns."

"We were tasked with searching for suitable suns for harvesting to feed the Allspark with. And we and all of Cybertron in turn were fed by the energies of the Allspark," Alterius Prime informed.

"Solar energy was our life-energon," Maximus Prime stated, "We had to feed on higher amounts of it to sustain our bodies and powers."

"Only the energy of suns could replenish our and the Allspark's finite energies and thus provide energon to feed our young and developing world and race," Nexus explained.

"Though it was necessary for us to draw energy from suns for our and Cybertron's survival and growth, we were judicious in our selection of suitable suns. We searched only for suns that we were sure did not sustain life," Alterius said.

"At the beginning of our search for harvestable suns, we fashioned the Matrix of Leadership from the energies of the Allspark," Vector revealed, "It would be the key to activating our Sun Harvester constructs, automatically linking to and siphoning solar energies, then storing them within itself."

"But the Matrix was not just a key and vessel for solar energies for our Sun Harvesters, it also was a storage device for our collected memories and wisdom," Maximus added.

"The Allspark lacked sentience and will of its own. It did not distinguish between right and wrong, good and evil," Logos informed, "It was simply a source of great power. Its power needed to be guided, directed. We were aware of the need to ensure that the life-giving powers of the Allspark were always used wisely and responsibly by future generations. So we recorded our important thoughts and knowledge into the Matrix."

My father, Prima, spoke again finally.

"The Matrix of Leadership was named so because it was carried by the first leaders of Cybertron, us, the Dynasty of Primes. We intended for it to be passed down from Prime to Prime, from fathers to sons. Our descendents would gain the accumulated wisdom of Primes past. And they would know how to use the power of the Allspark wisely by accessing the Matrix's archived knowledge and power."

His brilliant blue optics gazed at me gently.

"The Matrix has now finally found its way to its rightful inheritor: you, Optimus Prime, our last heir."

"But the Allspark is now gone, and with it the future of our race," I stated sadly, "What good could the Matrix be without it now?"

"The Allspark may be gone, but its power can never be destroyed. A portion of it is still contained within the Matrix, combined with our knowledge," Prima revealed.

Prima lifted his long and elegant hand up to the still suspended Matrix.

"The Matrix has gradually been preparing you to be its carrier since you were first merged with it," he explained, "That is what you have been experiencing internally for the past several Earth months. The Matrix has chosen you to be its guardian. You are to be the vessel of what remains of the Allspark's power within it."

My gaze was drawn to the silver artefact suspended above Prima's hand. My father continued.

"Much has come to pass and greater battles still lie ahead of you. The Matrix will aid you in what lies ahead."

Prima's hand descended and the Matrix floated down toward me. A blinding blue-white light shone from the silver artefact's centre and bathed me in it.

"Keep the Matrix close to your spark, my son. Let its power and wisdom be a light in your darkest hours. The Allspark is gone, but there may yet be another way to bring life back to our dead home-world and save our race from extinction. Search for the answer."

I took hold of the radiant Matrix in my hands. My chest panels pulled themselves open and the Matrix settled itself into a cavity in front of my spark chamber. It then drew the covers of my chest panels over itself securely.

"The future of our race lies in your hands now."

Prima approached me and I realised I was still on my knees. He extended his long and elegant fingers to me.

"Come, my rising sun. Your dawn approaches…"

I did not understand what he meant, but I reached out and took hold of my father's warm and ancient hand, slowly rising to his feet.

A ball of fiery white light encapsulated us.

Then everything disappeared in blinding light."


	11. Burning Sun

FlyingHope, glad i've been able to turn you into a Prime fan!

The heat turns up in this chapter literally as Optimus' destiny as a Prime is realised. And from beyond the Matrix, Prima returns with words of comfort for his son. So expect tender father, son moments!

Like the last chapter, this one will probably have more imapct and depth if you have read my previous "**Rising Sun**" fic. The idea for this chapter developed from Optimus' dream in **Rising Sun**'s first epilogue. Hopefully most of you don't find it a preposterous idea...

Chapter 11: Burning Sun

"Access code: Island. Voice journal entry 152. Earth date: February 28th, 2010.

Hot. So very hot.

The type of heat that sticks to you, wraps around you, penetrates into you, seeps into your very core.

I was back in that dream I had when I had fallen into stasis at the Tomb of the Primes five Earth months ago. First I was aware of an intense heat on my metal plating. Then of that heat seeping into my armour. Then of the Matrix pulsing like an active spark within my chest, drawing in and pushing out the intense heat throughout my body in a constant rhythm.

I could not see anything. My optics were offline. But somehow I knew where I was. There is no other place in the universe quite like it.

Molten, searing, blazing, suffocating, life-giving heat. Pressing around me, coursing through me. Impossible, miraculous.

The energy of a sun.

Forces of pressured heat that no living being should survive comfortably cocooned me as I floated peacefully at a centre of molten fire. Blazing, searing temperatures that should have incinerated me were flowing like energon through my internal fuel pumps. Every part of me was hungry for it. My whole body was absorbing the burning solar energy surrounding it like a hatchling craving vital energon.

Between states of activation and stasis, I was vaguely aware of my body slowly changing, remoulding itself. As I lay curled there, 'drinking' in solar energy, taking new form like a developing hatchling, blissfully content, I was dreaming strange dreams…"

* * *

The dark sky was full of falling stars. Optimus gazed up at them. He wondered why there were so many. Some of the showering stars began to fall nearer to Optimus. There was something unusual about these stars. One star fell within scanning range of Optimus's optics and he saw that it was not actually a star, but a Cybertronian spark, a shimmering blue-tinged white and pulsing ball of light. He was watching falling sparks, he realised.

They began collecting at a single point ahead of Optimus. Hundreds of shimmering sparks were being pulled into one steadily growing ball of celestial light. It grew to a giant size, a blue-white sun that filled Optimus's vision. He marvelled at its magnificence. It was a sun made of accumulated sparks.

Prima's voice echoed in Optimus's audios.

_To evolve, we must change. Nothing ever ends, only transforms._

* * *

"Several sharp edges were sprouting slowly out of my back, cutting through my back shoulder plating. There was no pain. My very metal felt to have become soft and malleable. My shoulders and chest were expanding, gaining bulk and breadth. My legs were becoming thicker, heavier. The Matrix was still pumping hot energy through my systems.

Finally, it all began to slow down. The energy flow was reducing until it stopped. I felt…'full' with energy. I began to move upwards on instinct, swimming up through the hot thick liquid that I had been floating in. I rose rapidly until I reached the flaming surface.

My optics flared back online at the instant I emerged from the surface of the sun. I was born screaming into the universe. An invisible force propelled me outwards into the infinite blackness of space. I had never felt so alive.

I am not sure when I came to a stop, but when I did I was drifting amongst the stars. I could see the sun that had birthed me still burning in the distance. I felt my external metal rapidly cooling and hardening, but my internal systems were still burning hot with solar energy.

I lifted my hands up to my optics. They were glowing with lines of hot white-blue energy from underneath the plates. I touched my chest. I still felt the windows of my Earth vehicle mode there, but they seemed to have grown wider and more angular. My fingers felt the surfaces of strange and intricate designs on and spiked protrusions from the exposed parts of my base protoform body. Underneath the armour of my external vehicle plating, my body had been significantly altered. I was sure I had gained size and mass. Several sharp objects were spreading out from my back as well. I turned my head to the side to see blade-like spines fanned out, forming sweeping gapped wings. Each of the bladed spines was tinged with the hot white-blue glow of my internal energy too, and the symbols of the Primes burned bright along their lengths.

From behind me, a source of warmth and light bathed my back in its glow, attracting my attention. I turned.

"My sun, you have risen."

The familiar warmth of Prima's voice called to me. He floated there before me, more real than I had ever perceived him to be before. He was glowing with veins of the same blue-white energy as me, divinely radiant. I lost myself in the timeless warmth and comfort of his burning blue optics. In them I saw a father's immeasurable pride and love.

"Father…," I uttered, "has this all been a dream…?"

His shining optics seemed to smile at me.

"There is an element of truth in every dream, my son."

I looked down at my illuminated hands once again.

"What has happened to me?"

Prima's voice was comforting and reassuring.

"You are transformed and reborn."

He placed his long ancient fingers upon my chest.

"The Matrix has awakened a power that has lain dormant and undeveloped within you, a power that is fuelled by the energy of suns."

I was unsure.

"It is like a void within me has been filled," I admitted, "It feels…good… Too good…"

My father's glowing ancient fingers rose and he brushed the crest of my forehead with the back of them. His crowned face wore an expression of understanding.

"I know what you fear, my son. I know you fear the potential temptations and corruption of great power. But these fears are only valid when there is no wisdom guiding power and selfish desires for it overtake one's spark. You are both wise and selfless, Optimus Prime. All your life, you have used what power you had always in the service of others and for a greater good. We both know you would never misuse power."

He spoke with such confidence in me, as if he knew me better than I knew myself.

"How do you know me so well, father?"

A deep chuckle arose from his vocaliser.

"The mystical link between all Primes ties you to me and your other forefathers and brothers and…the Fallen as well, I'm afraid, even beyond our deactivations. We are all connected. But more importantly, you are my son, given life from my very spark. Our bond transcends time and space and can never be severed. I have watched you from afar for so long, growing into a strong leader and warrior without me."

His radiant hand grasped one of mine.

"Though I have not been there physically in your life, I have never left you."

Impulsively, my fingers grasped his warm hand back.

"Do not be afraid," he continued, "Do not fear what you are and what you are capable of. You possess the same need for solar energy that all the Primes required, and you bear the potential for our powers, but you are not like the Fallen, nor are you a replica of me or any other Prime. You are unique onto yourself and you make your own decisions, shape your own future. You are Optimus Prime. Remember that you are the master of your own power, not a slave to it. You know how to use it wisely. Hunger for power was what turned the Fallen against us, but you are only too aware of that already. I have faith that you will continue to use your power to protect lives and to fight for the freedom of others, as you always have done."

I dropped my gaze from his.

"I…I am not without faults," I lamented, "I have made decisions with terrible consequences before. I have sent Autobots to their deaths. I have killed enemies as brutally as they have others. And I am partly responsible for destroying our home-world and for bringing our war to other worlds."

Prima's voice was soothing as it was certain.

"Yet you have also protected and saved countless lives, prevented the Allspark from falling into Megatron's abusive hands, fought valiantly to stop the Decepticon threat to the universe, given hope to the Autobots that fight for you, inspired others with your nobility, heroism and leadership, and sacrificed much to defend the freedom of all."

I raised my head again. His optics were glowing with a gentle sympathetic light.

"Mistakes will always be made and prices will always have to be paid in war. You must accept and learn from the past and do what is necessary to move on into the future."

My father's empathetic face approached close to mine and he tenderly laid his warm hand over my cheek plates. His other hand still grasped mine tightly.

"I know what memories, doubts and fears haunt you in your moments of silence. You have been so strong and endured so much in the past. The burdens you bear as a leader during a seemingly endless war are terrible and painful. But you must not give in to the doubts and fears. You must have courage and rise above them. You are our and Cybertron's last hope for a better future. Do not lose hope and faith."

He paused. The comforting warmth of his timeless parental love seemed to bathe me under his vibrant blue optics.

"Believe in yourself, my risen sun. You have come this far. Look within. All the strength and wisdom you need is there. You need only reach for the sun that burns within."

His arms wrapped around me, pulling me into his warm and radiant body. I shut my optics off as I completed our embrace.

"My love for you defies the barrier of death. Remember that I am always nearby."

His voice reverberated and his embracing warmth washed through me. I was a youngling again mentally. I wished dearly that I could remain forever in my father's comforting arms.

"There is no greater joy for a father…than to watch his son rising…"

The drop of a single tear of energon fell upon my crested forehead. It had fallen from my father's face. It streamed down my cheek plates.

My optics were still offline as I sensed a ball of fire and white light envelop us. We did not let go of one another as the fire swallowed us.

All too soon, I could no longer feel his warm embrace.

It had been burned away."


	12. Where Gods Walk

Now that you've all had a chance to go 'd'aww' at the last chapter's father-son moments, it's time for Optimus to get back down to Earth, in every sense of the phrase. He's been through quite alot up to this point, so maybe now he can finally start settling himself back into some kind of normalcy...or not...

The posting of this chapter falls aptly near the Valentine's weekend as Optimus' feelings toward Elita find a resolution.

With this chapter we also say goodbye to Optimus' recorded voice journal narration and move into his simple internal past-tense narration. By the time this whole story's done, i think i'll have confused you all with the various forms of narration and viewpoints i've used throughout different chapters. What can i say, i had too many ideas.

Chapter 12: Where Gods Walk

I came back online. My vision took a few kliks to come into focus. When I could see clearly again, I was looking at a vast expanse of clear blue. The sky. I was back on Earth.

I became aware that I was lying on moisture. And there was steam rising around me. My hands clenched at a substance that was momentarily cool in my grasp and that crumbled easily. It quickly dissolved into water in my palms. Then the liquid itself dried upon my fingers.

I sat up. I was surrounded by snow, settled on the ground and falling around me. More precisely, there was melting and evaporating snow immediately around me. Water was rapidly collecting into a small pool underneath me. I then realised what was causing the snow to melt and evaporate into steam: my body was radiating tremendous heat.

I stood quickly. As I did, I felt the water trickling down my body. My feet sunk into melting slush.

I gazed down at myself. Veins of hot energy still illuminated the gaps in my armour. I could feel the heavier weight of my altered body, the additional wing blade outgrowths extending from my back, the hot energy coursing through my systems, the internal heat burning out of my very optics... It had not been a dream...

I looked back to my surroundings. It was white everywhere. Even the cliffs in the distance were pure white. My internal readings determined I was in Antarctica.

Light snow was dropping down to my shoulders. But I could not feel its cold touch. It was melting instantly before contact. All I felt were drops of water which quickly dried.

My optics travelled up toward the sky. The glare of the sun touched me through the falling snow. I spread my wing blades out instinctively, soaking in the sun's warmth. Water streamed down me and steam rose from me.

The heat at my core swelled. Then the snow began swirling around me. It picked up pace until it was like a localised whirlwind. It took me a moment to realise that it was my doing. My powers. The powers of a Prime. I had to concentrate to bring them under control again. The whirlwind of snow slowly dispersed into calmness once again.

"This will take some getting use to," I murmured to myself.

Somewhere from within, a voice of wisdom emerged.

_I am a leader that has been given power…_

I touched my chest. I could still feel the Matrix burning within, like a second more powerful spark.

…_but true leadership is not about power. It is about servitude to a cause that is greater than yourself._

It fuelled my body with the incredible energy of suns and enriched my mind with the timeless knowledge of my ancestral Primes.

_We respect that which gives life and safeguard the sanctity of life._

From the power and wisdom of ages, my own voice rang clear as sunlight.

_I serve life and freedom. I am granted power so that I may protect those that are powerless._

For the first time in my life, I finally felt whole. I felt complete. I understood what it meant to be a Prime.

I had feared the powers of the Primes; that power was what ultimately drove them.

But that was an incomplete truth. The purpose of the Primes had been to wield power with wisdom. They were gifted, but were charged with the responsibility of leading the first generation of Cybertronians. They had to teach others how to use power wisely, responsibly and never at the cost of other life. They endeavoured to prevent us from misusing and fighting over power. They had tried to make Cybertron a wise and peaceful utopian society, one in which our race would not descend into greed and lust for power or attempt to exert our power over other races. The Fallen lost sight of the good examples and goals of his brother Primes, resulting in their tragic destruction. He twisted and tarnished what the Primes had stood for.

I was the only one left now that could carry on my forefathers' mission to combat the evil temptations of power and demonstrate how to use power for the good of others. Unknowingly, I had committed myself to the ideals of my forefathers all my life. That is why I led my people in our time of peace and growth; that is why I made a stand against my once brother-in-arms, Megatron and his Decepticons when lust for power had corrupted them; that is why I sacrificed all to prevent the power of the Allspark from falling into their abusive hands.

The Cybertronian race had fallen into a destructive war that was spreading to other worlds. Now more than ever, I had to use what power I possessed to end the destruction and loss of life and defend the freedom of others. Wisdom had to triumph over the madness. The last Prime had to show his people how to live in peace once again. I would never give up hope for a wise and peaceful Cybertronian utopia, no matter how distant it seemed.

A familiar and beautiful siren's voice sang into my audio sensors and dispersed my thoughts. Elita-One was calling to me through my com-link. Her voice was tinged with the tones of concern.

"Optimus? Are you there? Come in!"

"I am here, Elita," I replied calmly.

"Thank Primus! Are you alright? We lost track of your signal six cycles ago and have just picked it up again in the middle of the Antarctic! We also detected an unusually large energy reading simultaneously with your signal's sudden re-emergence. What has happened? Was there an explosion? Are you damaged?"

"No, Elita. I am fine. I was…"

My glowing hands came into my downwards view again.

"…going through some changes…"

"How did you get out there? When did you leave Diego Garcia? None of us were aware…"

"I will explain everything when I return to base in a moment."

"I will have Major Lennox dispatch a cargo plane to your location."

"I do not believe that will be necessary, Elita."

"But you are thousands of Earth miles away from Diego Garcia base!"

"I will be back sooner than you think."

My father's words returned to me.

…_you must not give in to the doubts and fears. You must have courage…_

Elita's beautiful face appeared vividly in my mind.

_I have been afraid of the pain of losing you. I did not think I could bear it._

A new thought turned over.

_O__ur lives may be cut short at any time, but we should cherish one another whilst we can, before we regret never having done so, before we regret our cowardice to do so._

Then a change of heart entered.

_I __am ready to let go of the past and embrace you, Elita. Finally._

I asked her.

"Elita, when I get back, I think I would like very much to take that walk with you. If the offer is still open?"

There was a pause from the other end.

"Yes. Yes, it is." Elita's voice had lifted with surprised happiness, and it filled me as well. "I'll be waiting for you, Optimus."

Relief, elation, joy. I experienced an exhilarating rare mix of positive emotions running through me.

"I will return for you soon, Elita."

I shut off my internal com-link and cast one more look up at the sun.

She was strong and beautiful.

I turned to leave. As I walked, I envisioned the N.E.S.T. base at Diego Garcia. Almost instantly, a ball of blinding fiery light swallowed me. I felt myself burning momentarily as energy expanded out of my body.

I felt no fear as I disintegrated in the heart of a dwarf sun.

I was back. And now no force in the universe would stop me.


	13. A Tale to Tell

Fortunately for all you OP/Elita supporters, i just couldn't keep them apart either. Ahh, the romantic in us all.

I mentioned before that i'd have a series of epilogues after this chapter, well i've decided to turn those former epilogues into more chapters now. So there are another 5 chapters to be posted after this one plus another additonal epilogue to end it all. There's gonna be a bit more for you all in other words! Hope you'll all enjoy.

Optimus now returns to Diego Garcia. We've all been wondering how the other Autobots would react to his changes. Let's find out shall we?

Chapter 13: A Tale to Tell

A puzzled but unusually pleased expression decorated Elita-One's slim face as she shut off her internal com-link. She was outside of the N.E.S.T. base on Diego Garcia surrounded by the other Autobots and a group of human N.E.S.T. soldiers, Major Lennox and Sergeant Epps among them. Her sisters, Arcee and Chromia, stood at her sides. The Autobots had all been listening intently to Elita's communication with their leader.

"So Optimus is alright," Ironhide affirmed.

"It would appear so," Elita replied mildly.

"How did he get all the way out there to Antarctica?" Ratchet wondered aloud. "What was he doing there?"

"He will explain when he gets back," Elita reported patiently.

Sideswipe looked doubtful.

"And how is he intending on doing that without air transport?" he questioned.

"We must have faith that he knows what he's doing," Elita said calmly.

Arcee placed a three-fingered hand on Elita's shoulder.

"Elita, what Optimus said to you just now…have you and he…become close?"

Chromia joined in Arcee's questioning of their purple sister.

"Is that what you've been blocking us from, sister? Your feelings for him?"

Elita-One's optics widened in alarm. She looked like a thief that had been caught red-handed. Elita held up her hands in protest.

"I…that is…nothing really happened between us…until now," she stuttered, "We never…"

The timing couldn't have been better for Elita. For at that moment, she was interrupted by a sudden flash of bright light and a loud boom that stunned the collected Autobots and human men. A blinding ball of fiery white light appeared out of nowhere before them. A giant silhouette materialised in the middle of the ball of light. Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the ball of light vanished. A strange Cybertronian being was left standing there, steam rising from his broad surfaces and a field of intense heat radiating out from him. The strange Cybertronian giant glowed vibrantly from head to toe with veins of burning blue energy emanating from the lines in his plating. He was easily the size of and as formidable-looking as a large Decepticon. The surprised Autobot and human onlookers first observed that the strange Cybertronian's body displayed some unusual structures and features that bore a vague similarity to the Fallen. But the strange Cybertronian's most impressive feature extended from his back: two rows of blue energy-lined, long sharp blades that spread out like elaborate skeletal wings. The wing blades were inscribed with illuminated ancient Cybertronian symbols.

The glowing Cybertronian giant looked out from under a heavy helmet ridge. More illuminated ancient Cybertronian symbols were emblazoned along the sides of his face. Jutting out sharply from the sides of his helmeted head were dangerously pointed antennae spikes. His blazing white-centred blue optics gazed over a dull silver battle mask at his stunned audience.

The first reaction of the human N.E.S.T. soldiers was to raise their guns at the semi-Fallen-resembling Cybertronian giant. The Cybertronian being responded by lifting his glowing hands up. To the human soldiers' surprise, their guns flew out of their hands. They looked up in awed shock as their guns levitated in the air above them.

"I do not intend to harm you," the strange Cybertronian giant echoed both firmly and reassuringly.

He lowered his glowing hands and the guns dropped to the ground in a loud chorus of clatters.

"Optimus?" Ironhide thought he had recognised his leader's voice from the glowing Cybertronian. "Is that you?"

The massive robot's wing blades folded behind him, pressing into his broad back. An expression of mild concentration seemed to pass over the Cybertronian giant's masked face. Then the veins of vibrant energy throughout his body progressively dulled until they were no longer visible through his armour plating. The Autobot and human audience could feel a reduction in the field of heat he had been emitting as well. The unmistakeable masked face of Optimus Prime became apparent when the energy veins no longer illuminated it.

Various Autobot and human jaws dropped as they finally recognised Optimus Prime towering before them. His familiar masked face, red and blue-coloured armour plating and windowed chest identified him unmistakeably as the Autobot leader. But his body had been increased in size and enhanced by modified features and designs that were reminiscent of the Primes.

Though Optimus's lower face was masked, his brilliant blue optics seemed to smile at his audience.

"My apologies for surprising you all with my sudden appearance," Optimus calmly spoke.

Epps leaned over to Lennox, neither men taking their eyes off the imposing new form of Optimus Prime.

"I'm telling ya, Optimus can change armour like we change clothes!" he muttered to a gaping Lennox. "First the combination with the Blackbird in Egypt, now this."

"Galloway's gonna 'love' this," Lennox muttered back sarcastically.

"What on Cybertron happened to you?!" Ratchet asked dumbfounded. The green medic-bot's optics darted up and down in a frantic study of his leader's heavily altered body. He pointed in a dismayed fashion at Optimus. "How am I supposed to run diagnostic scans on that?!"

Optimus had been distracted from what Ratchet was saying. His bright royal blue optics had been drawn to the approaching petite form of Elita. She rolled slowly up to him, staring at his physical changes in stunned and speechless amazement.

Optimus cast his warm blue optics down on Elita gently. He kneeled down before the fembot he had denied over an Earth month ago and held out his now even larger hand to her.

"Elita, I need to apologise…for before…," Optimus began.

Elita cut him off by taking hold of his large warm hand with both of her own small ones. She placed two slender fingers to her purple-tinted lips then delicately touched Optimus's thumb with her kissed fingers. Then pressing her face into his warming palm, she affectionately rubbed her cheek against it, letting out a soft sigh.

Optimus brought his other hand forward to cup Elita into his palms. Gently, he literally swept her off her wheeled tail, scooping her up into the nest of his joined palms. Elita let out a light laugh as she was raised up to Optimus's chest level.

Held next to Optimus's grilled abdominal area just underneath the windows of his broad chest, Elita gazed up with renewed love at her leader. The Autobot lovers momentarily lost themselves in one another's optics, their unspoken feelings perfectly communicated between them. Elita then elegantly folded her mermaid-like wheeled tail underneath her into a kneeling position in Optimus's hands. She leaned forward and pressed herself contentedly into the perfectly sized gap between her beloved's chest panels. A comfortable heat embraced her.

Optimus's blue optics dimmed into a deep hue of content as well as he felt Elita's small body pressed against his own. She was small, yet so full of life and love.

A little distance away, the Autobot Twins, Skids and Mudflap, with Wheelie perched on Skids' shoulder, edged toward Lennox and Epps. They looked down at the two soldiers with smirks on their faces.

"Psst. Looks like we win the bet, boys!" Skids triumphantly declared in a low voice.

Lennox and Epps stared up at the Autobot Twins in confusion, still in partially stunned states from the incredible sight of a transformed Optimus.

"What?" they said together.

"Didn't we say the boss bot was in love?" Mudflap grinningly reminded.

"You owe us some cans'a sweet high-grade oil!" Wheelie demanded gleefully from Skids' shoulder.

"Yeah, but…that obviously wasn't what was affecting his behaviour primarily during the last month or so!" Lennox argued, pointing up frantically at the imposing new winged form of Optimus Prime.

"Hey, but we were right! Optimus is in love! With Elita-One! You guys didn't believe us!" Skids reiterated.

"This is ridiculous!" Epps muttered.

Mudflap displayed a toothy grin.

"You guys keep saying that."

Lennox and Epps grumbled under their breaths. From behind them, Jolt looked at the Autobot twin brothers and shook his head quietly.

'Betting idiots,' the blue, electrical whip-wielding Autobot thought to himself.

In the orange light of the late afternoon sun, the last Prime rose to his feet, cradling his beloved in his hand next to his chest. His radiant blue optics scanned across all his gathered Autobots and human comrades. His voice was deep, warm and timeless.

"I will tell you my tale…"


	14. Falling Part 1

Still appreciating all my reviewers! Thank you so much!

I had originally planned to end this fic at chapter 13, but i was struck by a few more little ideas to tie up loose ends from this and my previous fic **Rising Sun**.

This chapter and the next to follow essentially fills in a gap in the historical events of **Rising Sun**. They are going to reveal how the other descendent Primes went offline.

I've used some known TF names or parts of names for the descendent Primes that will star in this and coming chapters. Hopefully they won't sound too silly...

Note that this and the next four chapters will be written in Optimus Prime's internal first-person narration in present tense, coming from his immediate perspective. It is not the past tense report of Optimus' voice journal recordings in previous chapters, but it will be expressing Optimus' current thoughts and point of view.

Without further ado, i give you...

Chapter 14: Falling - Part 1

I am back on a decimated Cybertron. It burns in the fiery aftermath of a battle. The ruins of a once great city lie around me. The rubble of collapsed buildings is everywhere. Smoke rises from scattered fires and fills the dark skies. The ground is stained in energon leaking from torn limbs and deactivated bodies strewn amongst the rubble.

I begin to walk in silence through the devastation. It is disheartening to look at, but I have seen it often enough during the war. The numbness developed from meta-cycles of war automatically forms a protective wall around my psyche. I steel myself to the sight.

I know I am seeing another vision of the past. I have seen many in the last few deca-cycles. But what era has the Matrix brought me to now?

The sound of footsteps draws my attention. Across the battlefield, I see figures slowly making their way toward one another. As I focus my vision on each of them, I recognize their forms. They are Primes. Not my forefathers though, their descendent sons, my brothers, six of them. For the first time, I notice a female amongst them as well…

I move closer. They do react to my presence. I am an invisible observer.

The female Prime is leaning sideways on the support of her arms upon a block of collapsed building metal. She looks tired. Another Prime comes up to her. I know him from my previous visions at the Tomb of the Primes deca-cycles ago: Sentinel Prime, Prima's first son, my elder brother. His familiar royal blue optics gaze down at the female Prime with an expression of concern and he holds out a hand to her. She looks at him with a small smile and accepts his offered hand. He pulls her to her feet.

"How do you function, Beta?" Sentinel asks gently.

Her violet optics shine dimly. 'Beta' sighs and answers wearily.

"I have expended much energy, but I am still intact and active."

Her violet optics fall to Sentinel's shoulder. A small stream of blue energon trickles from a wound there. She raises her hand to hover over the damage.

"Brother, you bleed," Beta comments in slight concern.

Sentinel shakes his head dismissively and gently pushes her slender hand away.

"Minor damage," he replies casually.

The other four Primes approach them then. One of them begins to speak.

"This battle has drained all of us considerably. I doubt we could withstand another major assault."

They all do indeed look weary. Their bodies display signs of battle damage. The lights of their optics lack vibrancy, reduced to weak glows.

"Convoy, Primal, Saber, Omega, Beta," Sentinel addresses his sibling Primes, scanning across them all, "I am afraid that this may not be the end of it."

The one Sentinel calls 'Convoy' nods in agreement to his statement.

"Our seekers have reported sighting Nova," he informs, "His forces attack from both the north and south sides of the city."

The mention of the Fallen's original name mildly takes me by surprise… Nova Prime…

Sentinel's head drops and his blue optics dim as he speaks seriously.

"Then it is as we feared. If he is back here on Cybertron and leading these sudden assaults, then we can only deduce that our other forefathers failed to stop him on the Sol System planet…and are likely dead…"

A heavy silence fills the air between the descendent Primes as the weight of Sentinel's conclusion sinks in.

"Then we are the last of the Prime Dynasty…," 'Omega' says slowly.

'Primal' throws his large hands up suddenly.

"This makes no sense!" he growls in frustration, "Why would Nova betray us? His fellow Primes! Why try to take Iacon now?"

Sentinel looks at Primal sadly.

"I do not think it is the city that he wants primarily… I believe he comes for us…for revenge…"

'Saber' turns to Sentinel urgently.

"Then we may not have much time left. Where is our infant brother, Optimus?"

I cannot help blinking at the mention of my name.

"At the base with Alpha Trion," Sentinel answers.

"We must go to Alpha Trion and warn him of Nova's arrival," Saber presses.

"Saber is right," Beta agrees, "Our hatchling brother, Optimus, is vulnerable. Nova does not yet know of his existence, but if he finds out…"

She does not get to finish her sentence. At that moment, an explosion of light manifests in the middle of the gathered Primes and throws them all onto their backs roughly. The Fallen appears from the light in the centre of them, burning with a demonic red aura.

"I bring you a gift, young Primes," he announces menacingly, "The gift of oblivion!"

His dark clawed hands burst into flames and he swings them to either side of himself at the floored descendent Primes around him. Lines of fire appear spontaneously on the ground and speed toward the Primes. Saber, Convoy and Primal leap and roll out of the way of the incoming flames. Sentinel, Beta and Omega summon transparent shimmering energy shields over themselves to block the flames out.

"Nova, stop!" Primal demands, "Are you mad?! We are your brothers' children!"

The Fallen's molten red optics burn brighter.

"Precisely why you must die!" he snarls.

He unleashes another round of flames at the descendent Primes. They scatter.

"My brothers are dead!" the Fallen declares maniacally, "And now their sons and daughter will join them!"

Sentinel calls to his siblings.

"Brothers, sister, surround him!"

They disappear in six flashes of light and reappear in a circular formation around the Fallen. Their bodies rapidly begin emitting bright auras as they build energy. Each of them radiates with a unique colour: blue, white, violet, amber, gold and green. The Fallen swings his head to either side of himself and warily scans the circled Primes surrounding him.

"Whatever you're all doing, it will not work," he warns.

His own red aura begins to grow in size and vibrancy in response to the other Primes' building auras.

"NOW!" Sentinel suddenly shouts.

All at once, the six Primes point their hands inward toward the Fallen and shoot twelve lines of coloured energy into him. The Fallen roars in pain as their combined energies strike him. His own red aura begins to expand after a few nano-kliks though, pushing back the energies of the six descendent Primes. They attempt to maintain the pressure of their energies on him, but are failing. The descendent Primes are being overpowered.

Finally, with an explosive burst of red energy and fire, the Fallen sends all six descendent Primes flying back. They cry out as they are thrown to the ground again, their bodies smouldering. From a wall of flames, the Fallen emerges.

"Foolish Primelings!" the Fallen bellows, "I am one of the original seven! My powers dwarf all of yours!"

He raises his dark hands up and they begin to generate globules of fiery energy. He looks across all the fallen descendent Primes sprawled helplessly around him. His molten red optics narrow.

"I have a new name now," he announces coldly, "You should all know it before you die. I have Prima to thank for inspiring it. I am…'The Fallen'."

He prepares to release his globules of fiery energy at the prone forms of Sentinel, Omega and Beta when suddenly Saber materialises beside him in a flash of light. He strikes at the Fallen with long gold energy blades emerging from over both his hands. The Fallen whirls away from Saber, narrowly avoiding being cut by his vibrant energy blades.

"Brothers, sister, flee!" Saber yells to his sibling Primes, turning momentarily to look at them.

"Never! The Primes stand together!" Beta stubbornly responds, slowly pushing herself up from the ground.

"Touching. Now you can all DIE together!" the Fallen growls.

Taking Saber by surprise, the dark Prime seizes both his bladed lower arms. Saber cries out as the Fallen's hot hands burn into his armour. With a vicious pull, he tears both Saber's lower arms off. Energon spurts from the ends of Saber's torn arms. The Fallen tosses aside the ripped limbs and like lightning, shoots a hand out and grabs Saber by the neck. He lifts the disarmed Prime off the ground. Saber gasps as the searing heat of the Fallen's grip burns into his neck cables.

Primal gets to his feet and rushes toward the Fallen.

"Nova, don't!" he cries, reaching out a hand in desperation.

"Brother…stay back!" Saber crackles brokenly through a heat damaged vocaliser.

But it is too late. The Fallen grabs Primal's wrist and throws him roughly to one side. Primal slides across the ground. With a burning hand, the Fallen then unleashes a globule of fiery energy at him. It explodes against Primal's chest and penetrates right through it into where his spark undoubtedly is housed. Primal's optics go offline almost instantly.

Before anyone can react, the Fallen then whips round and plunges his fiery hand deep into Saber's chest. Swiftly, he rips out Saber's spark chamber and crushes it in his burning grip. Saber's body goes limp and the Fallen drops him to the ground like waste metal.

"Primal! Saber!" Beta screams, pitifully reaching a hand out toward them.

Omega is paralysed with shock.

Sentinel's blue optics blaze.

"Murderer!" he roars at the Fallen.

He charges at him and they clash. Opposing red and blue energies flare as their hands struggle against one another. It is very much reminiscent of my dream involving our father, Prima, fighting the Fallen I note with a shudder…

Convoy teleports and appears suddenly behind the Fallen as he struggles with Sentinel. He latches onto the Fallen's with a headlock, wrapping one arm from behind around the Fallen's neck and grabbing his head with his other hand. The Fallen staggers back, breaking his combat with Sentinel.

"Convoy! No! He's too powerful!" Sentinel cries as he watches his brother attempt to subdue the Fallen in dismay.

The Fallen's fiery energy seems to travel up Convoy's arms. It appears as if he is siphoning the Fallen's energy as he holds onto him. It flows through Convoy's arms and into his body. But the energy absorption process ends abruptly when Convoy all too quickly cries out in agony and releases his grip on the Fallen. He steps back and doubles over, holding himself in terrible pain.

"It burns…Can't…contain… it," Convoy rasps.

With a shake of his head to clear his dizziness, the Fallen advances on Convoy and knocks him back with a telekinetic wave from his raised palm. Convoy plunges to the ground, still writhing in pain from the Fallen's burning energies within him. The Fallen slams his heavy foot down upon Convoy's lower chest, trapping him beneath his weight.

"Your forefathers could not stop me!" the Fallen bellows furiously, "What makes you, their offspring, think 'you' can?!"

In the Fallen's hands, his ancient spear takes shape from his fiery energy. He raises it over Convoy's face and, with one abrupt drop, plunges it through his head. There is not even a moment for Convoy to cry out.

Sentinel, Omega and Beta watch their third brother's brutal offlining in cold horror.


	15. Falling Part 2

Thank you again to all who have been reading this fic!

Still from Optimus Prime's present tense perspective, this chapter concludes the massacre of the Prime descendents and brings us back to the relevant chapter of** Rising Sun**.

Chapter 15: Falling – Part 2

Omega Prime cries his brother's name.

"Convoooy!"

All that remains of Convoy Prime's face is a wrecked mass of twisted metal and flooding energon. He lies deactivated along with Primal and Saber Prime. The Fallen stands like a terrifying fiery god of death over their bodies. The last three remaining descendent Primes, Sentinel, Beta and Omega, look on in horror.

The Fallen turns toward a frozen Omega and prepares to fire a blast of burning energy at him. Beta Prime sees it. She is on her feet in an instant. The Fallen fires. Beta launches herself between the blast and her targeted brother…

"NOOOO!" she screams as she throws herself in front of Omega, directly into the path of the Fallen's fiery energy blast…

She is struck. The blast explodes upon her chest. She falls…

"Beta! By Primus, nooo!" Omega cries as she falls, fatally wounded, into his arms. His knees fall with her to the ground. He watches in distress as energon flows copiously from a hole blown in her chest.

Sentinel dashes to Omega as he clutches their sister Prime's dying body. He raises his hands and instantly summons a shimmering energy shield over himself and Omega and Beta. The Fallen begins firing a torrent of flames at the shielding in an attempt to break through it.

Beta's flickering violet optics look up pleadingly at her last two remaining brothers.

"Brothers…run…," she whispers weakly as her optics darken. Her body falls limp in Omega's arms.

Though concentrating on maintaining his shielding against the Fallen's attacks, Sentinel manages to glance down in anguish as his sister goes offline.

Still holding onto Beta, Omega's head shakes from side to side in denial. Sentinel struggles to maintain his energy shielding under the pressure of the Fallen's flames. A silence hangs between the two Prime brothers for a long moment as one is lost in grief and the other is momentarily occupied with survival.

Outside Sentinel's energy barrier, the Fallen shouts remorselessly.

"Are you going to hide behind a shield forever?!"

Finally, Omega turns his head to Sentinel and speaks urgently.

"Sentinel, you have to go! Find Alpha Trion and make sure our hatchling brother is safe! I will distract Nova!"

Without lowering his arms or his concentration on shielding, Sentinel stares down at his brother as if he has fallen into madness.

"I will not abandon you!" he declares firmly.

"Please, Sentinel!" Omega pleads, "Think of Optimus…"

Sentinel is silent for a moment. Then his deep blue optics dim.

"I will return for you, Omega…," he promises, "Please wait for me…"

Omega nods and Sentinel disappears in a flash of light. Sentinel's energy shielding is replaced by Omega's as he teleports away.

With a brief final agonised look down at Beta's lifeless frame beneath him, Omega eases her down onto the ground. A rumbling growl rises from his vocaliser and his optics burn with white light. He raises his head to face the Fallen and stands tall.

"Angered, Omega?" the Fallen taunts, now having halted his flame attacks, "Then come." The Fallen gestures for Omega to make a move. "Take your vengeance on me."

Omega roars in fury and drops his energy shielding. A white aura encompasses his hands and he shoots them forward at the Fallen. A storm of unseen telekinetic currents suddenly pushes against the Fallen's body and his feet slide a few inches backwards along the ground. The Fallen crosses his arms over himself in some minimal resistance against Omega's telekinetic storm and astoundingly, he manages to keep his footing against the forces. Omega is pouring all his strength into his attack, but the Fallen remains still standing.

Before long, Omega's strength begins to wane and the pressure of his telekinetic storm weakens. The Fallen raises a fiery hand toward Omega and launches a burst of burning energy at him. Omega is struck by the ball of flaming energy in the centre of his body and he collapses onto all fours. Smoke rises and sparks of electricity cascade violently out of his heavily damaged front.

The Fallen takes his time to advance on him. He stops right beside the bent over Prime and stares unsympathetically down at him.

"This has all been an avoidable tragedy really," the Fallen half-heartedly laments over Omega, "If only all the Primes could have accepted our true higher calling. Instead you all insisted on keeping yourselves rooted in the lowly concerns of lesser life. You all refused to understand my ultimate vision for us. None of you could see as I have our true potential and right to ascend to greater levels of existence and power."

Omega, kneeling forward on the ground helplessly, does not respond. He is obviously in too much pain from his damaged front.

"We could have been more than just leaders of Cybertron," the Fallen continues distantly, "We could have been gods on a universal level. It is only because of your collective stubbornness to embrace the greatness that I tried to lead us all to that I have been forced to oppose you all. You all forced my hand down upon you. You all chose death over the greatness and power I offered."

Beneath him, Omega shakily curls his hand into a fist and he raises his head up to the Fallen, presenting the best defiant glare he can muster through his pain.

"And we do not regret…our fatal choice…," Omega strains out.

The Fallen lets out an offended snarl and grabs Omega's head, pulling him up to face his burning red optics.

"So be it," the Fallen whispers darkly.

With his last words, Omega shuts his optics off.

"I am sorry, Sentinel… I could not wait for you…"

With one vicious twist of his clawed hand, the Fallen rips Omega Prime's head clean off his shoulders. The beheaded body of Omega collapses onto the ground at the Fallen's feet. The Fallen watches as a rain of energon pours down from the base of Omega's head in his grip. As soon as the energon leakage reduces to trickles and drops, the Fallen lets his arm fall to his side.

"And now to find the last one," he utters to himself as he looks up, still clutching his energon-bleeding head trophy.

The Fallen teleports away, leaving behind a body-littered and burning battlefield.

A cold dread runs through my circuits. I know what happens next. I have seen it before in my visions at the Tomb of the Primes. Sentinel will fall…

I cast my solemn gaze out to the bodies of my fallen brothers and sister. Helplessness and fury well in me, but I can do nothing but swallow them. Tentatively, I approach the bodies of Beta and Omega Prime which are nearest to me. I kneel in between them and drop my head for a moment to grieve for all my sibling Primes. Then I rise.

A ball of light consumes me. I am taken away…

When the light vanishes, I am standing in another rubble-filled site.

In the distance, I see Sentinel leading my old guardian and mentor, Alpha Trion, away from a building. He stops and turns around to cast a glance down at a small bundle in Alpha Trion's cradling arms. I know it is me, my hatchling self. Sentinel says something urgently to Alpha Trion then pulls himself away and runs off down a devastated street. Alpha Trion begins to run in another direction, holding his infant baggage close to his chest plate.

I follow Sentinel. He runs through rubble and fires. Around him, there are the distant sounds of battle: echoing cries and explosions. The eerie glow of fires flickers on partially standing walls. Cybertronians are still fighting around the city.

"Must return to Omega…," I hear Sentinel tell himself desperately.

Suddenly, a stream of fire hits Sentinel from the side and he falls to the ground, body damaged by heat and smouldering. Stunned and dazed, he looks up to find the source of his surprise attack. His blue optics widen as he watches the Fallen emerge from shadows before him, carrying his spear weapon in one fire encompassed hand and something in the other.

The dark Prime silently regards Sentinel as he lays helplessly on the ground, damaged from his fiery energy, patches of his armour burnt and melted. His face is coldly expressionless.

From his burning talons, the Fallen lets the energon-leaking head of Omega Prime clatter to the ground. Sentinel gasps sharply as it rolls into his clear view.

"No…," he utters barely above a ghostly whisper.

He forces himself to stand up.

"Omega…brother…," Sentinel chokes out, grief-stricken. He begins to approach the Fallen.

"Your suffering will be brief, Sentinel," the Fallen says emotionlessly, "for you will soon join your brothers and forefathers in extinction."

"Nova...why…?" Sentinel croaks brokenly.

The Fallen's optics seem to darken despite their fearsome red light.

"Nova is dead. Only 'the Fallen' remains," he responds darkly, "Your father denied me. I will have my revenge."

Sentinel cries out in anguish. "You are insane!"

The terrible familiar scene replays itself before me as I saw it at the Tomb of the Primes. Sentinel attempts to grab the Fallen's face. He is stopped in midair just inches from his target by the Fallen's telekinetic powers. He is flung down onto the ground by the invisible force. The Fallen presses down one searing hand over Sentinel's face and raises his spear over his chest.

"And so the last of the kings of Cybertron fall," The Fallen utters coldly.

He drives his spear through Sentinel's spark. Sentinel's optics flicker before finally going out.

"The Dynasty of Primes is no more," The Fallen murmurs to himself, "Now I am the only one remaining."

He pulls his spear out of Sentinel's offline body and pauses briefly over his corpse before walking away.

My vision shifts to a pile of collapsed metalwork on the ground not far from Sentinel's deactivated body. A great heaviness descends upon my spark once again as I watch my old guardian and mentor, Alpha Trion, crawling out of the collapsed metalwork where I know he had been hiding and watching the horrifying slaughter of Sentinel Prime. As he stands and looks sadly over Sentinel's still body, he is shielding the face of my small hatchling self in his arms with one hand.

Alpha Trion looks down sombrely at my infant self cradled in his arms. His hand touches the side of my infant face gently. His lips move in a whisper. I know what he is saying.

"You shall not share the same tragic fate as your brothers, Optimus. I will see to that. The last Prime will survive."

Sentinel is dead. An infant Prime, me, is left as the last surviving Prime. I am alone…

It is painful to watch. I turn my head away.

Then something begins to pull at my awareness…something all too familiar and unsettling…I cannot ignore it. I am drawn away from the painful scene of death and survival before me and I start walking… I am being led elsewhere… To where?... By what?...

A line of light draws itself in the air before me and tears itself apart, opening up what appears to be a dark portal of some kind. A fear begins to rise within me, but I am drawn inexplicably toward the portal opening. It 'commands' me to go through it. I obey and step into the black maw of the unknown, leaving behind the past and passing on into another place…


	16. Dystopia Part 1

I've had a bit of a change in ideas for the next few chapters for this fic. It's going to drag on a bit longer with the changes i have in mind. The last few days i've been writing new chapters and this is the first of my new chapter rewrites. This chapter initiates a multi-part story that will carry on for another four chapters (yes, turned out that long!) and it is a story based on an episode from one of my favourite 90s cartoon series, "Gargoyles". A totally awesome show. If anyone was a fan of "Gargoyles", this and the following chapters will be rather familiar. I won't say which ep inspired these chapters...

Note that this and the next four chapters continue to be written from Optimus Prime's first person perspective. And remember he has a new body now, so the chapters to come will explore his new abilities (and limitations) as well.

Anyway, to summarise this update, Optimus wakes up to a very unsettling future world...

Just a reminder of approximate time units (you'll need to know!):

a meta-cycle – a year

a deca-cycle – a month

a solar cycle – a day

a cycle – an hour

a klik – a second.

Chapter 16: Dystopia – Part 1

Internal systems rebooting…50%... processor functioning active…

I am aware.

70%...audio sensors operational…

"By Primus, I think…I think he's reactivating!"

A familiar voice.

80%... restoring visual field…

The darkness clears…I see two figures looking down at me…bright lights above them…

"Can it be?"

Ratchet and another…A female I do not recognise…but there is something familiar about her face…

100%...mobility re-established…

A shudder runs through my body. My arms twitch. My fingers stretch.

I stare up at Ratchet and the unknown female. I blink my optic shutters.

I groan. "Uhh…Ratchet?"

He looks down at me brightly as he speaks.

"Optimus, welcome back. How do you feel?"

"Heavy-headed…," I reply groggily.

I sit up slowly from a table. Ratchet supports my back with a hand as I do.

"Not surprising considering how long you've been in stasis," he says quietly.

I blink at him. Then the female I do not recognise leans into my abdomen and wraps her arms around my waist.

"Optimus…after so long…you're back…" She sounds so relieved.

She sighs, her optics dim and she presses herself into me. I gaze down at her, searching my memory bank's images. But I can't place her. She is a tall female. I estimate she would stand just past my waist in height. Bipedal, long legs, body of purple and white colouration and a combination of smooth curves and sharp edges. Her face…her azure optics…her voice…there is something familiar about them…

"Do I know…?" I begin.

She pulls her head back and tilts it to one side as she looks up kindly at me.

"Optimus, it's me, Elita-One."

I clasp my hands around her arms and study her more closely.

"Elita…what has happened to you?"

"Well, I got a new body," she chuckles lightly.

I turn my gaze back to Ratchet. Then I realise his body too has changed slightly in appearance. He obviously has scanned a new alternate mode.

"Ratchet…when did you scan a new alternate mode?" I ask, puzzled now.

Then I glance around at my surroundings. The walls of an unfamiliar metal room surround me, Cybertronian in design.

"This is not the Diego Garcia N.E.S.T. base," I observe, "Where are we?"

Ratchet lays a hand on my shoulder. His expression becomes solemn.

"Optimus, listen. A lot of time has passed and much has changed. We are no longer on Earth. We're back on Cybertron now."

"On Cybertron?" I repeat, surprised.

"You've been in stasis for a hundred meta-cycles," Elita informs slowly.

I look at her, stunned.

"A hundred…"

I find my head shaking in denial.

"How can that be?" I utter.

"You fell into a mysterious stasis-lock when we were still on Earth all those meta-cycles ago," Elita explains, "soon after you acquired your new body."

I gaze down at myself, thinking.

"I had a vision from the Matrix of the past…but surely that could not have caused me to be in stasis for so long…"

"It's a medical mystery to me too," Ratchet says tiredly, "But it is one that will have to wait. You have returned to us at a dire moment in time."

An unsettling weariness seems to descend on both their expressions. Then Elita attempts a smile at me.

"Come with us to the command room and we'll explain everything there," she instructs mildly, "The others will be surprised to see you active again."

She steps back as I swing my legs off the table and stand.

"The few of us left that is…," I hear Ratchet ominously mutter.

* * *

They lead me through a poorly lit corridor to a set of sliding doors. The doors open to reveal a small command room. It shows subtle signs of age in the creeping rust at corners. There is a main computer screen and console sitting at the other side of the room. Lining the side walls are tables of scavenged equipment. Even the loose metal chairs around the room appear to be taken from elsewhere.

I follow Ratchet and Elita into the small worn-looking command room, ducking my head slightly to avoid hitting the top of the doorway.

"Sideswipe, Bee, Arcee!" Elita calls, "You won't believe it, but Optimus is back online!"

I see Bumblebee and what must be Arcee turn around from looking at the main computer screen. There is a frozen moment as they stare at me speechless. Their forms have been altered too. Bumblebee, like Ratchet, displays the parts of a new Cybertronian alternate mode, though he retains his yellow colour scheme. Arcee's changes, like Elita's, are more drastic. She too has a new taller bipedal body. There is a greater physical difference between her and Elita now. Gone are their similar small Earth motorcycle forms.

They approach me tentatively, almost in disbelief. A clear voice emerges from Bumblebee's long-damaged vocaliser.

"Optimus? I don't believe it!"

I look down at him as joy lights up his face. He appears to have matured somewhat, his face and body seem broader than before, but his optics still hold a recognisable glimmer of his earnest nature.

"Bumblebee…," I utter.

Arcee places a hand against the side of my upper arm, as if to confirm to herself that my presence before her is real.

"Optimus, I did not think you would ever come back to us," she whispers.

She turns to Ratchet and Elita.

"Ratchet, sister, how did you get him operational again?"

Ratchet shakes his head. "We didn't. He just…came back online himself…after all this time..."

"As suddenly and mysteriously as when he went into stasis-lock a hundred meta-cycles ago," Elita adds, casting a wistful gaze at me.

Arcee walks over to Ratchet. I observe him affectionately taking hold of her hand in both of his and offering her a small smile. Arcee returns the smile to him appreciatively.

The roll of wheeled feet from behind grabs my attention. I turn around to see Sideswipe. He too has the armour of a new alternate mode, one that adds red to his former pure silver colour scheme. He rolls up to me. His gaze is like steel.

"Welcome back, Optimus," he says in a low voice that I am immediately wary of, "I've been waiting a long time to do this."

His silver fist comes up toward my face in the space of a klik. I react instantaneously by sliding my battle mask over my face just as his fist slams up into my chin. The force sends my head back. I am stunned, but recover quickly only to see Sideswipe growling at me with a hostility I have never before seen in him. Elita rushes in between him and me, holding her arms out to block Sideswipe.

"Primus, Sideswipe! What was that for?" she reprimands firmly.

I retract my face plates, still bewildered. Sideswipe's expression hardens even further. He points an accusing finger at me.

"He left us to fight alone for a hundred meta-cycles against the Decepticons! It's because of his 'absence' that we've lost the war!"

"Lost the war…?" I repeat, shocked, confused.

"Stop it, Sideswipe!" Elita orders, "It's not his fault he's been in stasis this long." I have never seen her this close to losing her temper at a fellow Autobot.

"Well I'm sorry if I don't share your sympathy for him, Elita," Sideswipe responds coldly, "He's been nothing but dead weight to us all these meta-cycles! We've risked our lives and lost comrades just to protect his offline body! We're hiding from the Decepticons, fighting a hopeless guerrilla war and struggling for survival now no thanks to him!"

Sideswipe's words confuse me and fill me with dread. He snaps his merciless gaze back at me.

"Without you, Optimus, we were no match for Megatron. He's now in control of Cybertron," he utters bitterly.

The weight of his words sinks into me. I fear to ask a question.

"What of Earth?"

Sideswipe continues to glower at me. Arcee responds to my question instead.

"Conquered. Soon after you went into your mysterious stasis-lock condition. Megatron somehow found a new source of energy and summoned an army of Decepticons to Earth. We and our human allies didn't stand a chance. All the Earth-bound Autobots were taken prisoners. The humans…some were enslaved, most were slaughtered across the planet…"

I open my mouth, but no words come out.

Bumblebee continues.

"But before the Decepticons had captured us, we managed to hide your body in a cave beneath a volcano. When we could, we managed to escape the Decepticon prison aboard their flagship. We stole one of their smaller crafts and returned to recover your body. Then we fled back to Cybertron."

Elita's head drops as she speaks next, her voice edged with sadness.

"When we landed back here, the Decepticons had already begun exterminating Autobot camps. They were emboldened by the news of your supposed 'death' whilst Autobots everywhere were in disarray and had lost morale without you to lead us. We fell all too easily."

"We have had no contact from any other Autobots for ninety-five meta-cycles now," Ratchet informs heavily, "It seems likely that Megatron has wiped out the entire Autobot resistance… We may very well be the last surviving Autobots…"


	17. Dystopia Part 2

Thank you FlyingHope, Kotomi and Sefiriot for reviews on last chapter! Good to hear my drastic turn of story has caught your attentions.

So who's been leading the Autobots in Optimus' 'absence'? Optimus is about to find out. And things become more serious as a desperate mission arises...

Chapter 17: Dystopia – Part 2

I cannot believe it.

"All the other Autobots…gone?" I utter disbelievingly.

Ratchet indicates to Sideswipe with a hand.

"And Sideswipe has been acting leader for us in your absence."

Sideswipe crosses his arms and continues to stare at me coldly. I regard him calmly. Then I look over the other Autobots in the room: Ratchet, Arcee, Bumblebee, Elita-One…

"Where is Ironhide?" I ask abruptly.

There is a moment of tense silence. No-one seems to want to answer me. Uneasy glances pass between them. Then finally Bumblebee summons the courage to speak.

"Ironhide had taken command initially when you went into stasis. But then he, Chromia and Jolt fell protecting you when we were moving your body to this safe location seventy meta-cycles ago…" He trails off.

Muteness takes hold of my vocaliser again. My head drops to one side. My optics fall to the floor.

"No… How could this have all happened?" The words fall uselessly out of my mouth. "If I had known… If I could have come back online sooner… I never intended or wanted to leave all of you to fight alone…"

I do not blame Sideswipe for his response to my inadequate words.

"Oh, hey, that makes everything 'much' better!"

"Let it go, Sideswipe," I hear Elita telling him firmly but sympathetically, "What has happened has happened. We can't change any of it. But Optimus is back with us now. That's all that matters."

"Better late than never I suppose," Sideswipe grudgingly rumbles. I cannot bring myself to look at him.

Disbelief, confusion, grief, desperation, self-blame… All the emotions pass through me.

Then Sideswipe's expression changes abruptly.

"Wait, the Matrix of Leadership! You still have it don't you?" he quickly asks me.

I nod. He draws closer to me, staring eagerly at my chest region.

"It resurrected you once before!" he states enthusiastically, "We might be able to use it to revive some of our deactivated comrades if we can recover some of their bodies!"

I shake my head negatively and raise a hand to cover my chest plates.

"Too risky and unpredictable," I try to explain, "The Matrix is not simply a tool of power. It possesses knowledge and a will of its own. It drew me to it and powered my transformation. It gives me visions without warning and takes hold of me at any time. It will not simply work to our wishes. It operates by its own mysterious designs. It is not to be controlled. And its energies can be as dangerous as they are life-reviving. The power of the Matrix has only ever been wielded by the Primes and can be fatal to other Cybertronians."

"We're in a desperate situation here, Optimus," Sideswipe argues, "We need back some of the Autobots we've lost in the past. What have we got to lose by trying it out?"

I pause, considering, looking down at my chest. I feel the gentle heat emanating from the Matrix within me, reminding me of its ancient autonomous and incomprehensible power, a power that is only ever to be used carefully and wisely… I lift my head back up to look evenly at Sideswipe.

"The answers lie not in trying to reverse the past, but in tackling the present," I tell him firmly, "We must find a way to topple Megatron from his throne of power."

"Easier said then done, Optimus," Ratchet states dismally, stepping toward us.

Suddenly there is a low beeping from the computer console and a voice crackles out from it.

"Come in base!"

Ratchet rushes over to the computer console and hurriedly studies it.

"Sideswipe, the Twins are on comm!" he announces without looking up.

"The Twins?" I murmur in surprise.

Sideswipe strides over to Ratchet. "Bring them on screen."

Ratchet's fingers skim over a couple of buttons on the console and an image of Skids and Mudflap appear on the computer screen. I note that their facial features have been refined somewhat. Their bodies look sleeker in design.

"We've found it!" Skids declares triumphantly, "We've found the clone hatchery!"

I turn to Elita beside me.

"Clone hatchery?" I query her.

"The Decepticons' new cloning program," she explains, "They are trying to expand their army. They have begun cloning their strongest and most resilient warriors."

Arcee moves to stand next to Elita.

"A solar cycle ago, we sent out the Twins undercover to infiltrate the Decepticon central citadel here in Iacon where the hatchery is," she further informs me, "They were to pinpoint the exact location of the site within the citadel for us."

"Good work, Twins," I hear Sideswipe praise, "Transmit your coordinates to us."

"Transmitting now." Skids' voice is unusually professional.

In the centre of the command room, a holographic 3-D image of an unusual step pyramid structure appears. It is surrounded on four sides by arching frames bending up from the ground to the highest point of the step pyramid. A giant Decepticon insignia decorates the front face of the architectural construct. At the bottom of the projection, a red blip blinks. Arcee goes to scan the image.

"Their signal's coming from beneath the citadel!" she announces.

On the computer screen, Mudflap looks around himself tensely at his surroundings. "Guys, there's gotta be thousands of them in here. A home-bred Decepticon army ready to pop at any time!"

"Can you tell us how long we've got before hatching?" Sideswipe asks quickly.

On the screen, Skids glances behind himself. "They're looking pretty ripe. It'll be soon for sure. A couple more solar cycles at most."

Sideswipe nods at the screen.

"Thanks for the info. Now you two get yourselves out of there pronto."

"Right, we'll see you…AAAGGGHHH!"

Skids is violently interrupted by a sudden explosion. His and Mudflap's combined cries ring out from the comm speakers before their image on the screen is abruptly cut off. The sound of empty static comes from the comm speakers.

"Skids! Mudflap!" Sideswipe cries in alarm.

There is no response.

"Skids! Mudflap! Respond!" Sideswipe demands again louder.

Ratchet raises his head from the console and looks at Sideswipe, his expression falling.

"Sideswipe…their energy signatures have gone offline… We've lost them…"

Sideswipe raises his hand to cover his face then suddenly slams his fists down on the rim of the computer console.

"Blast them! Blast those Decepticons!" he roars.

A terrible silence fills the rest of the room as the fate of Skids and Mudflap sink into our processors.

Then Arcee's expression toughens and she points to the holographic layout of the citadel in the centre of the room.

"They didn't die in vain. We have a fix on their coordinates," she declares determinedly, "We know where the Decepticon clone hatchery is now."

Sideswipe turns around sharply and wheels over to citadel layout.

"Then it's time to destroy it," he announces vengefully.

"Destroy unborn protoform hatchlings?" I murmur uncertainly, my optics dropping to the rusty floor.

"Decepticon protoforms, Prime," Sideswipe states sternly, "They are nothing more than clones that Megatron has programmed to serve as his new Decepticon army. If we don't destroy them now, then very soon it'll be the end of us."

"And the Decepticons will have greater forces to deploy, allowing their tyranny to spread further across the galaxy," I add monotonously.

Sideswipe nods solemnly. "Exactly."

I turn my head to look blankly at a wall.

"That is one thing that has not changed then I guess," I murmur, "In order to stop our enemies, we must sacrifice their young…"

Elita walks up to me and lays her hand gently on my arm.

"Optimus, we have no choice left."

I look at her heavily.

"I know. I've known since the solar cycle I was willing to condemn our race to extinction by destroying the Allspark and then the Fallen's Sun Harvester on Earth… New life for the Decepticons has always meant death for the Autobots and others. We have been forced to make a terrible choice of death for our race over life for our enemies time and again, because we cannot allow them to bring their destruction to other worlds and life. The slaughter of any young is never to be condoned, but it has become a necessary evil for us… We sacrifice new life for survival and freedom…"

I shut my optics down momentarily and allow a brief darkness to smother me, imagining what it might be like to have never been born… Then I turn them back on.

"We'll divide into two teams," Sideswipe announces, wasting no time, "one to attack and one to penetrate the citadel. Ratchet, Arcee," he turns to them, "you two will be the ones penetrating the citadel and heading for the hatchery coordinates underground." He turns back to the holographic projection of the citadel in the centre of the room and points to the bottom of it. "You'll have the most important task of destroying the clones."

He faces the rest of us. "The rest of us will launch a distraction attack at the south side of the citadel which should hopefully leave the hatchery site minimally guarded." He points to one side of the citadel projection.

He turns once again to Ratchet and Arcee. "It should be relatively easy then for you two to sneak in to accomplish your mission."

Then Sideswipe looks back at me, considering me for a moment.

"Still remember how to fly?" he asks flatly.

I glance toward my back and consciously part my wing blades slightly. Swiftly, I perform an internal check on my reconfigured systems and energy levels also. I am fully operational.

"That and more I believe," I answer.

I have never had the chance to fully test the capacities of my new body before going into stasis. Having emerged from solar empowerment, I had been able instinctively to open a space bridge and teleport, but it is an ability that requires more practice. I had only used my telekinetic powers on a low level once to disarm some soldiers at Diego Garcia; concentration was needed at times to bring it under control. But flight was something I had taken to with a natural flair. I had brief prior practice in Egypt when combined with Jetfire's parts.

"Then you can take Elita and approach from the air," Sideswipe states. He points at a specific ground spot on the chosen side for our attack on the holographic projection of the citadel. "Bumblebee and I will launch a ground attack here. Our first explosion will be your cue to move in."

He turns around and looks across all of us.

"We'll leave our tracking signals on so that we can monitor one another's movements and location and we'll contact one another when possible. If all goes well, we'll meet back here at base when it's safe."

His optics rest on me coolly.

"Any objections?"

"None," I reply.

Elita turns to me.

"Optimus, can you still teleport?" she asks, "It might be easier for you to get into the hatchery…"

"I am afraid that is not an option, Elita," I respond negatively, "I am unfamiliar with this citadel's internal structure. I would not know where to direct myself to until I have seen the target location."

"Optimus will best serve as a distraction with us," Sideswipe reiterates, "His reappearance after all this time will hopefully surprise the Decepticons and grab their full attention. And his aerial support will be more useful to us in battle."

I nod in agreement with his logic. I do not remember the last time I was not in the position of leader. It has always been my constant burden and responsibility. It is strange for once to be on the receiving end of orders, listening to someone else making battle plans…

"Get ready to move in two cycles, Autobots," Sideswipe informs.

A part of me welcomes the rare shift in command… It is so much easier…


	18. Dystopia Part 3

Thank you again Sefiriot, Kotomi and FlyingHope for the reviews. Always appreciated. I hope you have strong hearts for the chapers to come. Things are only going to get more...painful.

Just to recap and set the story tone again, Optimus wakes up a hundred meta-cycles into a dark future where the Decepticons rule Cybertron and the last band of Autobots, led by an embittered Sideswipe, are in hiding. With the recent loss of the Twins and the threat of Decepticon clone protoforms soon to expand the Decepticon army arising, can things possibly get any worse for the Autobots? Can Optimus' return at this point possibly make any difference to an already bleak future? Or did the chances the Autobots had to stop their foes go down long ago with their loss of the war?

In this chapter, Elita and Optimus share a tender moment and the Autobots begin their attack on the Decepticon citadel.

For anyone who is familiar with the Japanese Beast Wars series, i've made a little fan reference to the Beast Wars II show in this chapter. I'm sure you'll spot it.

Chapter 18: Dystopia – Part 3

Elita leads me to an armoury room. A multitude of weapons line the shelves on the metal walls. She begins to select her choice of arms. I watch her pick up a rapid-fire blaster gun, check its ammunition load and attach it to her hip.

"You must forgive Sideswipe," she says calmly without looking back at me, "He has been through a lot in your absence."

Her slender fingers move onto the handle of a laser blade. Holding it firmly in her grasp, she activates it and watches a long blue energy blade emerge. Then she turns it off and places it into a compartment in her left arm.

"I do not blame him for being angry," I reply quietly, "You have all been through terrible times…and I was no help…"

Elita stops and turns around to look at me.

"Optimus, don't blame…," she begins.

"My feelings are the least of our concerns now," I interrupt.

I pause, regarding her different body, wondering what experiences she has been through during my time offline.

"What about you, Elita?" I ask, "What have you been through?"

She gazes at me softly and a small smile appears on her purple tinted lips. She approaches me and takes hold of my hand in both of hers.

"I have waited a hundred meta-cycles for you to awaken, my love," she utters tenderly, "That has been my sole reason to keep on going this long."

She raises her hand for my face and I lean down to allow her to touch my cheek. She begins to stroke it. I place my hand over hers, holding it to my face, cherishing the meaningful contact. The azure glow of her optics dim. Her voice is melancholy.

"When we lost our sister, Chromia, Arcee and I were not only grief-stricken… It literally felt like we had lost a third of our sparks." My spark sinks empathetically with hers. "Our link had been broken. A third of us was missing. We became more dependent on one another and others. Arcee grew close to Ratchet, as you may have noticed just now in the command room."

I recall their earlier tender holding of hands.

"Yes," I reply, "They did seem to be…very attached."

Elita nods in confirmation, still gazing lovingly at me as she continues her story.

"Arcee's relationship with Ratchet helped fill the void in her spark left by Chromia's departure. In a way, he became an emotional substitute for Chromia to Arcee."

Elita's fingers press onto my cheek beneath my palm.

"My love for you kept me going in a similar way. I dreamt so often of your revival over the meta-cycles. I was doubted at times that you would ever return to us, but I never lost faith."

Her azure optics seem to sparkle.

"I would have waited an eternity for you, my love," she declares softly.

I tighten my fingers around hers and I bring her hand down from my cheek into my encompassing grasp. I bring myself down further onto one knee to match my height with hers, staring deep into her beautiful optics.

"Elita…," I murmur, "you have been so strong and infinitely patient…"

She presses herself into my body, leaning her head into my lowered shoulder.

"A century of dreaming…," she whispers dreamily, "But now my dreams have finally come true. I am back in your arms. And there is a glimmer of hope once more."

I bring my arms around her smaller body and hold her close to me.

"I will do everything in my power to set things right, Elita," I murmur into her audios, "I promise."

She draws her head back from my shoulder and looks at me seriously now.

"My love, are you sure we could not attempt to use the Matrix like Sideswipe suggests?" she asks in an almost requesting manner. She reaches to touch my chest plates. "If you would allow us, we could…"

I stop her hand from making contact with my chest, catching it in my own.

"No, Elita." I shake my head. "The Matrix is not the solution to our problems."

She does not seem entirely convinced. Her gaze falls subtly to my chest.

* * *

It is worse than I could have imagined. Iacon has been drastically changed under the rule of Decepticons. My spark becomes heavy in my chest.

I am flying over the rooftops of the city now. My illuminated wing blades are spread wide from my back, propelling me through the air with invisible forces. I carry Elita in my arms. She observes me sympathetically as I look down solemnly at what was once my jewel of a home city.

Buildings have lost their gleam and beauty, the exteriors neglected, apparently valued only for their interior functions. Streets are lined uniformly with grey factories, obviously serving the same manufacturing purposes. Everything seems cold, lifeless, geared toward functional outputs and promotion of conquest. Decepticon emblems are everywhere. Visual war propaganda in the form of large holographic projections are the only colourful decorations around. The marks of dictatorship, war and stifling order have deformed Iacon.

A giant holographic screen hovering in the air ahead of me attracts my attention. Megatron's cold and imposing face appears suddenly in it. He begins to speak, his voice broadcasting out to the entire city.

"My proud Decepticons, our victories have been numerous over the meta-cycles. The Autobots no longer pose an obstacle to us and Cybertron is our stronghold. We have successfully conquered three other worlds to date, including Earth, and the energy sources of those worlds are now at our disposal. The spread of our empire across the universe continues…"

I turn my head away from Megatron's depressing holographic broadcast and focus my attention back down on Elita in my arms.

"Ever since the Decepticons took control of Iacon, everything has been converted to support their pursuit of galaxy-wide conquest," Elita explains glumly, "Most of the old research facilities are now factories for weapons manufacture, and the former temples and memorial halls are now galleries boasting of the merits of the highest ranked Decepticon warriors." She nods back at Megatron's broadcast on the giant holographic screen which I am now passing. "Megatron runs regular broadcasts to his Decepticons of their victories on Cybertron and beyond. He's recently talked about plans to invade a new organic world called Gaia that's supposedly rich in a new energy source known as Angolmois energy."

As Elita's voice stops, Megatron's seeps back into my awareness from the broadcast. "The Decepticons are unstoppable. Our expansion is inevitable…"

My optics dim. My head drops.

"If there was anything I could do to change all this…," I murmur regretfully.

Elita offers me another look of shared pain. Then something draws her optics forward. She points ahead.

"There's the citadel," she announces.

It looms large before us. A vast step pyramid structure surrounded by four arching frames bending up from the ground with a giant Decepticon insignia carved into one face of it, the life-sized original of the holographic projection I saw back at base. It stands hundreds of feet in height and length, vaguely reminding me of the Fallen's Sun Harvester I destroyed so long ago in Egypt.

The sound of an explosion suddenly travels up from the ground then. We look down to see the flaming aftermath of an attack on the citadel's bottom tier.

"And there's our cue," I inform Elita, "Let's roll."

I soar toward the citadel's upper tiers. Transferring Elita to the hold of my left arm, I engage my ion blaster in my right and hold it forward. I fire off two untargeted shots at the citadel. They explode noisily upon contact and send loose metal fragments falling down to the lower levels.

"I believe that should get their attention," I remark.

"Better drop me off on the ground," Elita advises, pointing down, "I work better with my feet under me."

I nod obligingly. Narrowing my wing blades behind me, I send us into a descending dive down toward the main road leading to the citadel. I spot Sideswipe and Bumblebee transforming out of their alternate modes down on the ground.

Elita draws her rapid-fire blaster gun from her hip as I near our comrades on the ground. For a moment, she holds me in an intense gaze.

"I'll see you later, my love."

Then before I can respond, she jumps with amazing agility from my arms and lands gracefully on the ground below near Sideswipe and Bumblebee.

"Ratchet and Arcee are on their way in," I hear Bumblebee report over our com-links.

As I swerve upwards, I see the citadel's large doors opening ahead of us.

"Get ready, Autobots!" Sideswipe announces, his Cybertanium swords extending from his arms.

Bumblebee produces his plasma arm canon. Elita charges her blaster gun.

I rise higher up in the air to get a broader view of the opposition we face.

From the open citadel doors, a small army of Decepticon drones, all of the same design, march out. They carry standard blaster weapons. Just above them, a familiar Cybertronian jet with black markings on his wings emerges and transforms: Starscream. He flies ahead of the drone troops and comes to hover above Sideswipe, Elita and Bumblebee.

"I knew you'd be along soon enough after I offlined those processor-challenged twins of yours," he taunts toward Sideswipe. His voice takes on a smirking tone. "It's not pleasant to learn of 'brothers' being offlined is it Sideswipe?"

Sideswipe takes Starscream's verbal bait explosively.

"Come down here and face me, coward!" he bellows, raising his swords threateningly at Starscream, "So help me I'll cut out that smirk of yours!"

"And lose my aerial advantage?" Starscream responds casually, "I don't think so, Autobot. Unlike you, I have intelligence instead of a temper."

Retracting my ion blaster back up my right arm, I position myself above Starscream in the air and reach down to him with my telekinetic energies. Starscream jerks in the air as I suddenly pull him up toward me with unseen forces. I halt him right in front of me. His red optics widen in shock. I look at him evenly.

"If you will not answer to him, you will answer to me," I rumble authoritatively.

Beneath me, I notice the drones advancing forward. Sideswipe, Bumblebee and Elita aim their firearm weapons at them.

"This one's for Skids and Mudflap," Sideswipe declares.

He leans forward and fires three shots from his back-mounted blasters. They accurately hit the chests of three drones on the front line, knocking them backwards into others behind them. Bumblebee and Elita open fire as well. More drones fall.

I return my full attention to the captive Decepticon I am holding in front of me when he begins to say something.

"Op…Optimus Prime?" Starscream stutters, "Impossible! You disappeared a hundred meta-cycles ago!"

"And now I'm back," I declare in a low tone.

Heat travels down my body as my internal systems draw power from the Matrix. Starscream looks at me anxiously, still paralysed by the grip of my powers.

"What…what happened to you?" he gasps, glancing down my form.

I realise he is the first Decepticon to see me in my new body since my solar empowerment. I throw an energised hand out and grab Starscream by an arm. He cries out in pain as the heat of my energy burns his armour.

"I had an upgrade," I answer monotonously, tightening my grip on his arm and easily denting his plating.

"I don't know where you've come from after all this time, Prime," Starscream manages to boldly vocalise, "but it no longer matters! The Autobots were defeated long ago! Megatron was victorious! Your return at this point is insignificant!"

I feel heat burning through my optics. I narrow my gaze at him.

"Then I demand justice for the slaughter of my comrades," I utter coldly.

With a forceful pull, I tear Starscream's arm right out of its socket. He screams in agony as sparks pour out violently from his disarmed shoulder. I toss his detached arm down to the ground. Then with a short burst of telekinetic energy from my other hand, I send him hurtling into the citadel wall some distance away. He crashes, leaving an indentation in the wall. His body seems to go limp.

I return my gaze down to the battle below. I see Sideswipe, Bumblebee and Elita inundated by the firing drones. Elita has discarded her rapid-fire blaster gun and is shooting bolts of high voltage electricity at the drones from a blaster attached to her left arm. Bumblebee is standing back to back with her and still firing with his arm-mounted plasma canon. Sideswipe is a blurred streak of red and silver wheeling between lines of enemies. His arm blades are slicing smoothly through each torso he passes.

I drop down to aid them. Snapping my energon blades out from my arms, I direct myself to pass over the heads the drones engaging closest to my comrades. Swooping over them, I decapitate several drones with my lowered blades. Their heads drop to the ground, followed closely by their headless bodies.

I bring myself to hover just above the other Autobots and holding out my hands, I summon an energy shield over us to deflect the incoming shots from the rest of the Decepticon drone army.

"Stand back!" I order to my Autobots.

Internally, I draw energy from the Matrix and build up a charge. Then, arching backwards, I release an explosive invisible wave from my body across the rows of drones in front of us. They are instantly thrown back, sent sliding roughly across the ground. They do not get up again.

Gradually reducing the energy output from my wing blades, I lower myself down to the ground to join my Autobots. They all display minor battle damage, scratches, burns and dents on their armour. Elita makes her way over to me.

"Nice work, Optimus," she praises, "You just took out the remaining drones."

"Don't relax your guard yet, Elita," Sideswipe warns, "There may be more on the way."

"I'll check on Ratchet and Arcee's status," Bumblebee announces. He lowers his head as he checks his internal monitors. A troubled expression appears on his face.

Sideswipe looks at him impatiently. "Well?"

Bumblebee hesitantly looks back up at us.

"Their…their energy signatures are gone…"


	19. Dystopia Part 4

Hope readers have been enjoying this ride into a dark future for the Autobots. It's about to get darker... I hope you all have alot of emotional tolerance.

In this chapter, the remaining Autobots are determined to finish their mission to find and destroy the Decepticon clone hatchery, but the price is high. Will any of them survive?

Just a reminder for any new readers, all the first person narrative chapters and segments of this fic are coming from Optimus Prime's POV.

One more chapter to go after this one to finish these "Dystopia'" chapters! Bet some of you have already roughly guessed what has been going on so far in these chapters. But can anyone guess where it's all leading to?

Chapter 19: Dystopia – Part 4

"Their…their energy signatures are gone…"

I, Elita and Sideswipe stare at Bumblebee speechlessly after he reports his internal check on Ratchet and Arcee, none of us willing to accept the meaning of his words.

"They've…gone offline…," Bumblebee announces heavily, "They didn't even make it to the hatchery…"

Sideswipe's hand flies to the in-built com-link on the side of his head.

"Ratchet, Arcee, come in!" he barks.

He is still for about five kilks as he listens intently to the sound of emptiness. Elita and Bumblebee lower their heads hopelessly. Elita's hand rises slowly over her spark.

"Ratchet, Arcee!" Sideswipe demands again.

Nothing.

"NOO!" he roars suddenly, his hands clenching into fists.

His head swings manically from side to side.

"Sister..." I hear Elita moan quietly.

My head drops. Ratchet and Arcee…

Then Sideswipe snaps his head back toward us, a driven determination on his face.

"This is not over yet!" he declares angrily, "We're going in instead!"

Without warning, he speeds off toward the citadel. Elita's head snaps up urgently to him.

"Sideswipe, wait!" Elita calls out.

Suddenly the sounds of whirring gears cause us all to look back at the battlefield behind us. Some of the intact Decepticon drones are rising to their feet again.

"Head for the citadel! Quickly!" Bumblebee directs, pointing to the ominous structure.

Without question, we follow behind Sideswipe as he makes for the open citadel doors. The slow and steady footsteps of the reactivating drones follow behind us in turn. We hear the charging of their firearm weapons.

Sideswipe, Elita and I enter a long corridor as we run into the citadel, but Bumblebee suddenly pauses at the entrance. I stop and turn back to him, observing him standing to one side of the entranceway. His hand is held over something on the outside wall. He looks at us with a solemn but smiling hue in his cyan optics.

"Bumblebee?" I ask tentatively, "What are you doing?"

He glances over his shoulder at the advancing drones then turns back to me with a gentle expression.

"I'm glad I got to see you alive once more, Optimus. See you on the other side."

He slams his hand onto the outside wall and the citadel doors abruptly slide shut, blocking him from us. I rush forward to the shut doors and begin to press against them. They will not budge.

"Bumblebee! No! NO!" I cry.

Elita runs beside me and makes a brief attempt to push the doors open as well, but they do not move. Sideswipe watches us wordlessly. Elita stops and looks to me in resignation.

"He's...he's jammed the doors from the outside," she announces despairingly, "He's preventing the drones from following us."

"We cannot leave him behind!" I declare.

The sound of laser-fire and Bumblebee's cry of pain from beyond the shut doors hits our audios then. There is a crash as a body falls...

"BUMBLEBEE!" I roar.

My body seems to go numb with dread…

I bring my arm back, preparing to knock down the doors...but a silver hand on my fist stops me.

"Optimus, don't!" Sideswipe orders, "Bumblebee's just sacrificed himself to give us a chance in here! Don't waste his sacrifice! We have to find the clone hatchery!"

I throw his restraining hand off mine and bear down on him with the full intensity of my heated glare, momentarily succumbing to anger. Bumblebee is dying outside and he is telling me to abandon him! Then I notice that he is trembling, from anger or grief I cannot tell, perhaps both. My anger dissipates quickly.

Then Elita slowly approaches me as well.

"Sideswipe is right, Optimus," she heavily agrees, "Our comrades will have died in vain if we do not accomplish the mission. There's nothing more we can do for Bumblebee now."

I look down at them both in undisguised despair. An expression of grim determination hides Sideswipe's grief and anger. Elita silently pleads to me to stay with them.

With an intake and expelling of air, I relent to them. My shoulders fall. I nod reluctantly.

Sideswipe turns and begins to lead the way down the corridor.

"Come on," he tonelessly beckons without looking back at us.

Elita touches my arm briefly, a subtle encouragement, then slowly follows after Sideswipe. I glance back once more at the shut doors then tear myself away to follow my last two remaining comrades.

The Twins, Ratchet, Arcee and now Bumblebee... How could we have lost them all so suddenly?

We reach the end of the corridor and enter a great hall. Ahead of us on the opposite wall are the doors of an elevator. Sideswipe comes to a stop at them and from his arm brings up a small holographic map flashing the coordinates of the clone hatchery.

"We're directly above it!" he announces, "We just need to take the elevator shaft down and..."

The sound of running footsteps alerts us. We look behind us to see a group of Decepticon drones charging toward us. These drones are of a different type to the ones we encountered outside though. They are armed with metal lances that serve as their right arms and rectangular energy shields in their left hands.

"Get those elevator doors open!" Sideswipe orders to us.

Before we can stop him, he takes off toward the charging drones, arm blades at the ready. I turn quickly to Elita.

"Do as he says!" I instruct her, "I will assist him."

Elita moves to study a number pad on the wall beside the elevator. She raises a hand toward it and plugs a few wires from her wrist into it, attempting to break the security code requirement.

I face the drones and begin summoning my internal energies again. The familiar heat spreads through my systems, illuminating my body with veins of blue energy. To one side, I spot Sideswipe clashing his blades with the lances of two drones simultaneously. I hold my hands out, sending out my telekinetic energies to seize hold of most of the drones in the hall. With the rise of my hands, I lift the drones up into the air. I slowly curl my fingers into fists, feeling the armour of the levitating drones buckling under the compression of my invisible powers. Steadily and with concentration, I crush the bodies of my captive drones with my telekinetic energies. Then I drop their disfigured bodies noisily onto the floor.

As my internal energies settle again, I feel a mild weariness from my exertions. I place a hand over my forehead. My head feels quite heavy.

"AGGHHH!"

I am snapped out of my tiredness by a pained cry from Sideswipe. I look to where I last saw him. I freeze.

"Sideswipe! NO!" I hear Elita call, petrified.

He has been impaled through his abdomen by the lance of one of the drones. It has run straight through him, emerging from his back. But one of Sideswipe's arm blades also has impaled the drone through its abdomen and it has already been deactivated.

Sideswipe takes hold of the drone's weapon arm and pulls it out of himself with a pained grunt. A gaping hole in his body is exposed. The deactivated drone slides down onto the floor. Sideswipe falls to his knees then collapses sideways onto the floor as well.

Elita and I rush over to him. Our feet are stained by the pool of leaking energon spreading from underneath Sideswipe's body. Fear rises in me as I realise that he has likely been mortally wounded.

Kneeling in front of his sideways body into his pooling energon, I gently lift Sideswipe's head up in my palm.

"Hold on, Sideswipe," I plead.

He gazes upwards away from me, a distant look in his dark blue optics.

"Sun…," he murmurs.

I stare at him intently, not understanding. An unusual expression of joy lights up his face as he continues to look up away from me at something.

"Sun…streaker…," he clarifies, his voice quivering, from happiness or weakness I am unable to discern.

A wide smile that I have not seen since his early days with his twin brother spreads across his mouth.

"Can you see him, Optimus?... He's beautiful…"

With those last words, Sideswipe shuts down. His head lies dark and still in my hand.

I begin to sway my head slowly from side to side. This cannot be happening… But it is…

I lower Sideswipe's head back down onto the energon-stained floor. From the corner of my vision, I am barely aware of Elita's head falling, her azure optics dimming to their darkest shade possible. My gaze focuses down upon my energon-stained hands. I lose myself in them.

"Is this my destiny?" I hear myself uttering tonelessly, "Always to be the last? The last of the Primes, and now the last of the Autobots… My existence is cursed…"

Elita's hands reach for and grasp mine. I raise my gaze to hers.

"I'm still here with you, my love," she quivers.

I do not register the emotion on her face, only that she is still functional, still alive before me…the only one left…my sole companion… I cannot lose her like everyone else…

I seize her in my arms and hold her tightly against me.

"Stay with me, beloved…," I plead.

Her fingers reach up to my face. Her optics seek comfort from mine and offer it simultaneously. Her lips part to say something, but words fail her.

We are shocked from our grief and despair suddenly as we come under heavy fire. Several lines of laser fire narrowly pass around us. Then one hits me in the shoulder, penetrating the armour. Small sparks immediately pour out from burnt circuitry.

"Ugh!"

I release Elita from my arms and clutch my damaged shoulder instinctively. Glancing behind me, I see more Decepticon drones coming into the hall and firing short-range guns at us.

Elita quickly points back toward the now open elevator.

"This way! Into the elevator!" she orders.

I rise to my feet, my lower legs and hands stained with Sideswipe's energon. We run toward the elevator. Running beside Elita, I attempt to cover her from the rain of laser fire following us. I am hit a second time in the side at my waist. I grunt in discomfort but ignore it. We finally make it into the elevator and the doors shut behind us, cutting off the laser fire.

The elevator begins to travel downwards. Leaning back onto its metal wall, I place a hand over the second wound in my side. I can feel some exposed internal wiring crackling and spurting a few sparks. Elita moves toward me in concern.

"Optimus, are you alright?" she asks.

"Just moderate damage," I reassure her, "I can still function."

She nods, slightly relieved.

"We should be heading down toward the clone hatchery now," she informs, "We will be able to complete the mission. The others will not have perished for nothing."


	20. Dystopia Part 5

Thank you for the reviews! I'm glad this these Dystopia chapters seem to have really gripped some readers!

And here's the final part of the Dystopia chapters! All the Autobots have fallen tragically save only for Optimus Prime and Elita One. Will the last two Autobots survive their suicide mission to destroy the Decepticon clone hatchery? Or is there something or someone else behind all this that Optimus should really be worrying about?...

Chapter 20: Dystopia – Part 5

Inside the elevator, Elita and I fall into a heavy silence as it continues travelling down to the lowest underground level of the citadel. After a few kliks, the doors open again. Cautiously, we step out of the elevator and scan the area around us. It is quiet. A short gloomily-lit walkway lays before us, leading up to another set of tall doors.

"That must be it," Elita deduces.

We cross the walkway and approach the doors at the end. Elita begins to look at another security number pad beside them.

"I believe I can get us in faster," I offer.

I step up to the doors and plunge my hands into them. Elita jumps slightly in surprise. I dig my fingers right into the door metal then tear the doors off their frame. We gaze through the open doorway and see what we are looking: the clone hatchery. I drop the torn doors to the ground behind me and we enter the hatchery.

Rows of un-hatched protoform clones surround us, thousands of them hanging from the ceiling and lining the walls, immersed in pod sacs of vibrant blue energon. We stare for a moment at the tremendous sight of so many unborn Cybertronian young. I suppress a terrible sickening feeling in my spark at the thought of what we must do next.

Elita makes her way over to a computer screen and control panel at one side of the hatchery.

"I'll see if I can shut down the energon supply lines feeding them," she informs monotonously.

I walk up behind her and place a halting her on her shoulder. She turns round to look back up at me questioningly.

"No. You will not be responsible for this terrible act," I state gently, "I will do it."

With a burdened spark, I lift my head and scan the protoform clone hatchlings around me once more. I begin to gather my internal energies…

I have denied and destroyed new Cybertronian life in the past, but it was always indirectly, by allowing the destruction of the Allspark and then by destroying the Fallen's Sun Harvester on Earth. I sent away that which created life for us and removed a source of energon that could have fed growing protoforms. What we do now is a direct act of slaughtering hatchlings, even if they are simply Decepticon-programmed clones. But our conquest-bent enemies cannot be allowed to grow their army…or others will suffer the fate of the Autobots and Earth…

I pull power from the Matrix, accumulating enough energy within me for a fatal shockwave…

The destructive heat rises…

"Primus, forgive me…," I whisper.

…then disperses…

I release a shimmering wave of energy from my body that passes through all the protoform hatchling pods. My energy travels quietly. The unborn clone hatchlings twitch briefly in their pods as they go offline. I hope to have given them a swift and peaceful deactivation. They still hang suspended in their energon-rich pods as if awaiting their time of hatching, sentenced to death before ever having tasted life…

It is done. I have taken innocent unborn life.

I drop my head in grief. Elita places a comforting hand over mine.

I think of our fallen comrades. We have lost them all…

"The Twins, Ratchet, Arcee, Bumblebee, Sideswipe…," I murmur.

"All gone."

We hear a new but instantly recognisable voice. My joints stiffen. My spark freezes. My optics travel up.

From the hatchery entrance, he stands threatening and terrible as I remember him to be. His blood-red optics demonically pierce the shadows overlapping him. With heavy steps, he approaches us.

"Megatron…," I utter.

Starscream follows beside Megatron, the arm I had torn off him earlier loosely reattached back into his shoulder. And behind Megatron, a group of drones stand with firearm weapons at the ready.

Megatron comes to a stop a short distance away from us. He gazes at us menacingly.

"I would know you no matter what your form, Optimus," he rumbles, observing my altered body for the first time, "I thought I had been denied the chance to kill you myself long ago. Thank you for returning to me now to give me that satisfaction."

My body tenses. My hands clench into fists.

Megatron's mouth becomes a sneer.

"All your effort and sacrifice for a worthless victory," he taunts, "Just to destroy this single clone hatchery."

Elita and I look at him questioningly. What is he implying?

He smiles malevolently. "This isn't our only hatchery! We have several others across the city!"

It cannot be… Shock and disbelief settles in.

"You have not even slowed down our cloning program!" Megatron devastatingly declares, "Everything you just went through was for nothing!"

Everything we went through…the others…

"No…," I utter.

"Yes!" Megatron counters, "It's over, Prime! You've lost! I won our war a long time ago! All that remains now is to terminate the last two Autobots in existence!"

The drones behind him raise their weapons at us. Starscream converts his right arm into a gun in anticipation beside him. Elita instinctively begins to pull herself closer to me, subconsciously seeking comfort, though her face maintains its front of defiant bravery. Megatron holds up a hand to halt his troops. His intense red gaze does not move from me.

"I know you will be eager to save at least her life."

Megatron indicates toward Elita with a tilt of his head. I listen tensely. His red optics bore right into me.

"You must still have the Matrix of Leadership. No doubt it had something to do with your present modified body."

His optics sweep over my new form with subtle interest. He raises his open hand demandingly toward me.

"Hand it over to me and I will spare your precious female's life."

For a moment, I consider doing as he says. But I know Megatron too well. I glance down at Elita. She is standing close to my side. She dares to look back up at me briefly. I see the loss of hope and fear in her azure optics. Silently and unintentionally, she seems to plead to me. I steel myself. Then I return my gaze back up to Megatron sternly.

"You will never honour your word," I reverberate knowingly.

A cruel smile spreads across Megatron's mouth plates.

"True," he darkly admits, "Nevermind. I would rather tear the Matrix from your body whilst you scream instead, but first…"

His right arm converts into a canon as he raises it toward Elita…

"…you get to watch her die."

His arm canon charges.

"NO!" I bellow.

I throw myself in front of Elita, pulling her into me as I twist my back toward Megatron to shield her with my body. His canon fires. The blast impacts into my back between by wing blades. The pain rips through my entire upper body, but enduring it, I open a space bridge around myself and Elita. We are swallowed and taken away by a ball of blinding light.

* * *

The light dissipates and a metal street appears underneath us. I have teleported us outside of the citadel to a street from my memory. The pain from my back injury instantly reclaims me and my legs buckle under me. I collapse toward the ground. Elita drops from my arms and falls. We both hit the ground hard. I crash down flat onto my damaged back. Elita rolls once across the ground and stops face-down. Groaning in pain, she weakly pushes herself up onto her hands and knees then begins crawling back over to me.

"Optimus, speak to me!" she croaks.

She reaches my side and leans over me, scanning the extent of damage on my body. I feel the jumping sparks of damaged circuitry and crackling of exposed wiring in the open wounds on my shoulder and side once again. I become aware of energon leaking from my back onto the ground underneath me.

"Damage…uhh…critical…." I do not lie to her. "And…exhausted…from using power of Matrix…"

Elita lifts her head to quickly scan the area around us. Then she looks back down at me worriedly.

"We have to have move," she informs urgently, "We can't stay out here too long. The Decepticons will soon find us."

I shake my head wearily.

"I…can go no further… You have to…go on without me…"

Elita's face breaks into despair.

"No! Don't say that! Don't even think it!" she cracks desperately.

She stands on bent legs and grabs a hold of one of my large arms, futilely tugging at it. But I have not the strength to respond to her efforts. She slumps back down onto her knees in defeat. She looks away from me.

"It was all for nothing," she begins to murmur, "The mission was a waste. Megatron said there are other clone hatcheries all over the city. We fought and lost Sideswipe and the others pointlessly. We have failed to stop the Decepticon army from expanding."

I roll my head toward her sadly.

"I am sorry, Elita. I could not prevent all this… I could not save us... And now it is too late…"

It is a pitiful apology.

Elita slowly turns her head back to face me, a firm look on her expression now.

"The Matrix of Leadership…," she says quietly.

Her gaze shifts toward my chest.

"We can't let it fall into Megatron's hands…"

She opens her hands above me.

"Give it to me, Optimus. I'll take it as far away as I can."

I stare at her weakly then attempt a mental command to part my chest armour. My internal gears only creak though and my chest panels simply shudder.

"I…I cannot open my chest…"

Elita's brow furrows.

"Yes you can!" she presses eagerly, "Try again!"

"Too weak…," I whisper.

"No you're not!" Elita insists. She seems to be impatient. "You've got to give me the Matrix!"

I look at her puzzled. Something is not right…

"Elita?" I ask tentatively.

"Give me the Matrix! Now!" she demands, "Hurry!"

This is not like her. My suspicions are aroused. Grunting against the pain, I push myself to sit up and look closer at Elita.

"Elita, where was our first mission alone together?" I question sternly.

Elita looks mildly surprised for a brief moment. Then she hardens her face again.

"Optimus, this is not the time!"

"Answer me!" I order, increasing my tone.

"Optimus, please. That's not important right now. The Decepticons…"

She is avoiding the question. I narrow my optics at her.

"You cannot answer…can you?" I conclude.

The intensity of her optics grows.

"Optimus, you're delusional…"

She reaches a hand to me imploringly. I lean back from her touch.

"You are not Elita!" I declare.

There is a cold anger building in her expression.

"Of course I am! Don't be ridicu…"

"Who are you?!" I demand.

She falls mute. Her gaze becomes dark and alien to me. She stands and steps back. Suddenly tendrils of fire begin to travel around her frame. Her whole body begins to emit a red aura.

"It seems the façade is over." Another sinister masculine voice echoes behind hers.

The world around us disappears into pitch blackness. I watch in shock as Elita disappears in swirling fire and is replaced by a dark, nightmarish figure I recognise only too well.

"Fallen…," I utter in disbelief.

His fiery red optics burn into me.

"In the metal…"


	21. Battle Within Part 1

Took a week off this fic and ended up writing a short TFA fic dedicated to Prowl called "Eulogy to a Fallen Hero" (check it out!) last week, so i apologise to waiting readers! For some reason, this chapter and the next have been difficult for me to get off the ground, but i've finally written them up.

The last chapter somehow managed to gather my highest number of reviews for a single chapter yet! So thank you very much to all you lovely generous readers! I do appreciate your support, show of interest and thoughts! **Starfire201**, you're quite correct that my previous "Dystopia" chapters were based on an episode from the show "Gargoyles". Nice to hear from someone else who watched the show too.** Atalanta123**, I'm sorry about leaving you with cliffhangers. I'm afraid you you may have to endure another one at the end of this chapter... **Pheonix13**, yes, the Fallen fooled Optimus pretty good as you'll find out more about in this chapter.

Speaking of this chapter, we're about to find out what's been really happening with Optimus for the past five chapters. The unexpected return of the Fallen at the end of the last chapter certainly does not bode well for the Autobot leader. But in what capacity has the Fallen returned? And more importantly, for what reason?

This and the next chapter will be the finale chapters for this fic, so they're meant to wrap it all up. I'm intending to write an epilogue or two to finish this story after these finale chapters.

I should probably inform you all that this and the next chapter will alternate between two 'worlds': the real one and Optimus' internal one. I hope you all can tell which is which. The real world will be in third person past tense narrative while Optimus' internal world will be in his first person present tense narrative. You'll know what I mean as you read.

Chapter 21: Battle Within – Part 1

"How is he?"

The gruff question made Ratchet look up from inspecting the still form of Optimus Prime laid out flat on his repair table in his N.E.S.T. medical hanger on Diego Garcia. Ironhide had just entered, his expression worn from prolonged stress. Following behind the black Autobot weapons specialist were Bumblebee, Major Lennox and Sergeant Epps.

Ratchet shook his head.

"Still no idea what caused him to shut down in the first place. His vitals all seem in working order, but he's just...inactive."

The Autobot medical officer dropped his frustrated gaze back down to his offline leader. Optimus Prime lay motionless, optics dark, his chest plates open, gently glowing Matrix overlaying his spark exposed. Ratchet had spent hours examining the Prime's internal systems to locate the source of his sudden fall into stasis-lock, but to no avail.

Opposite from Ratchet, Jolt stood alert and waiting for further instructions. Beside Optimus' head on the large repair table, the small motorcycle form of Elita One sat keeping vigil over her beloved.

"So Optimus is just unconscious?" Epps asked from beside Ironhide's ankle.

"I believe that would be the human equivalent for it, yes," Ratchet replied without looking up from his leader's body.

"Don't you know how to bring him back 'online'?" Lennox questioned.

"No. I've tried," Ratchet sighed tiredly, "but his recently altered systems are still presenting a new problem for me. I have to be careful not to disrupt his reconfigured internal equilibrium or trigger off some of his unusual energies whilst examining and handling him."

"Maybe that's what's caused Optimus to shut down," Ironhide theorised, staring hard at his leader's formidable altered form that was still new and alien to them all, "his transformation may have destabilised something internally."

"Or what if the Matrix is having an adverse effect on him?" Jolt added as he looked down suspiciously at the gently glowing artefact in the Autobot leader's chest.

From beside Optimus' head on the repair table, Elita turned to look up at her fellow Autobots.

"There is a lot we have yet to understand about the Primes." Her gaze fell back down to Optimus' face. Her gentle azure optics scanned the various symbols of the Primes lining the sides of it. "Perhaps there are other forces at work within Optimus..."

Lennox placed a hand over his creased forehead in a subconscious attempt to settle himself. This was worrying. Optimus Prime had been in 'stasis-lock' for over twelve hours and they had no idea how to help him.

"Well, how long could he possibly remain like this?" Lennox questioned further, "I mean, he's gotta wake up sometime, right?"

Ratchet did not answer. Lennox thought he saw faint uncertainty and fear creep into the lime green Autobot's face briefly, but then they were gone.

Bumblebee stepped forward next to Lennox and knelt down to him.

"Optimus...*crzt*...he'll be okay," the yellow Autobot scout said reassuringly in his broken voice. He looked like he was trying partly to convince himself of that as well though.

Ironhide glanced briefly at Bumblebee and smiled a little. Good old Bumblebee, always hopeful and optimistic. Ironhide hoped he would be right though as he looked back at Optimus' vulnerable body on the repair table.

* * *

He burns before me, red liquid fire veining through his body, an aura of flames surrounding him, his crimson red optics searing into me...

"Fallen...," I murmur in disbelief, "It was you all along..."

I sit in paralysed shock staring up at his smoke-emitting form. The bleak future world on Cybertron that I had believed myself to have reactivated to is gone. There is only endless blackness around us, like a starless Space. The harsh flaming aura of the Fallen in front of me and the gentle white glow of Matrix from within my chest are the only sources of light. There is nothing else but us in this empty and impossibly black place.

"You are a stubborn one, Optimus Prime," the Fallen's words are dripping with ancient malice, "I tried coaxing through Sideswipe, I tried threatening through Megatron, I tried pleading through Elita One. But still you refused to relinquish your hold of the Matrix!"

My gaze falls briefly to the gentle white glow emanating from my chest.

"The Matrix...?"

The Fallen takes a heavy step toward me. The flaming aura around him intensifies. He raises a blazing hand.

"If I cannot obtain it from you by deception then I will do so by force!"

Suddenly he throws his hand out toward me and releases a stream of fiery energy. Reacting instantly, I roll out of the way.

"How can this be? I deactivated you deca-cycles ago!" I exclaim as I quickly rise to my feet.

A low growl rises from the Fallen's vocaliser.

"Foolish young Prime! Did you really believe that I could be disposed of so easily? I am a PRIME! One of the first! We exist in more forms and ways than you realise! I may be removed from your level of existence, but my spark essence remains, wandering metaphysical planes, able to infiltrate your dreams."

_T__he sensation of rising heat spreads throughout my body._

_The Matrix in his grasp, the Fallen raises his lava-red optics toward me._

_My __mouth opens. Strange words come out._

"_The sun burns. Power is mine."_

_It i__s not my voice though. It is the Fallen's dark voice coming from my own vocaliser._

"_The power of the Primes."_

_Looking down, __the Matrix of Leadership is in my hand now. But my hand is not my own anymore. Burning hot dark talons are clasping the Matrix instead._

_In the intricate __silver lines of the Matrix, I catch my reflection. My optics are no longer illuminating a blue light; they are fiery red. They are the malevolent optics of the Fallen._

_Dropping the Matrix of Leadership, I raise both my hands in disbelief. Veins__ of red heat are spreading throughout them and all over my body. My internal temperature is rising uncontrollably._

_Under the Egyptian s__un, the Fallen stands ablaze, fiery energy rising and pulsing from his body, terrible yet amazing to behold._

The unsettling sensations, words and images of that old haunting dream come back to me...

"The dreams, the visions I had of you, ever since the Matrix began calling to me... It still links me to you as it links me to the other Primes," I realise aloud.

The Fallen raises both his hands and an invisible force throws me back abruptly. I crash heavily onto my back. The shock to my systems and sensors incapacitate me for a moment. I groan as I register a dull pain travelling up from the impact on my back. The Fallen's malevolent voice echoes in my audios. His footsteps approach me steadily from a short distance away.

"Your ignorance has left your mind like an open file to me," he rumbles, "I was able to enter your mind undetected whilst you were preoccupied with a vision of the slaughter of your sibling Primes. I accessed your memory banks and learnt of your Autobots followers. Then I constructed a future in which you lost everything, the war, Cybertron, your loved ones. You played right into my hands until the moment you managed to see through the illusion."

His burning red optics appear above me as he comes to lean over me.

"You attempted to manipulate me into giving you the Matrix by creating that...nightmare," I state tonelessly, hardening my gaze.

Looming above me, the Fallen raises a hand of billowing fire. Like an inescapable field of crushing gravity, his invisible telekinetic forces press down on me, pinning me down flat on the ground. He narrows his crimson red optics at me.

"You are still in a nightmare, Optimus Prime, one that you shall not awaken from."

* * *

"Ratchet! Something's happening to Optimus!"

The Autobot medic rushed back to his leader's offline body at Elita's urgent call. Jolt looked down from the other side of the repair table.

"He feels like he's getting hotter!" Elita informed in alarm, her small hand pressed against Optimus' face plates.

Ratchet stared down into Optimus' open chest. The Matrix was glowing vibrantly and brighter than before. Underneath it, Optimus' large spark seemed to be pulsing faster and harder as well. Ratchet held his fingers as close to Optimus' spark chamber as he could without touching it. He began to run internal thermo-scans. Watching in trepidation further away, Ironhide, Bumblebee, Lennox and Epps had all fallen into breathless silence.

"His core temperature's rising too quickly!" Ratchet informed rapidly. He looked up speedily at Jolt and Elita. "Jolt, Elita, help me attach some energy dampeners on him! We've got to try and stabilize his core again!"

From Ratchet's arm emerged small disc-shaped devices. He held them out to Jolt and Elita. The three Autobots immediately set to work attaching the devices around Optimus' spark chamber and the Matrix.

"What's going on in there?" Jolt wondered aloud as he glanced down at the increasing vibrancy of the Matrix and Optimus' pulsing spark.

* * *

The plates of my battle mask slide over my face. Hot energy runs through my systems as I build a resistant charge to push back against the Fallen's oppressive force holding me down. Slowly, through concentration of my power, I begin to lift the Fallen's gravity upon my body. The Fallen grunts as he strains to keep me down under his telekinetic weight.

"You are learning fast, young Prime," he drops one hand and suddenly brings it up again. I am flung upwards and tossed heavily onto my side, "but not nearly fast enough."

Ignoring the shock of jarring impact to my body, I push myself up onto my hands and knees.

"Whether you want to or not, you shall help me to rise again," the Fallen utters ominously, "I shall be reborn through you."

Though slightly disoriented, I stand again and face the Fallen with clenched fists.

"What do you mean?" I probe.

The Fallen regards me with an unrelenting intensity.

"I will take back from you that which should have been mine millennia ago."

His intense crimson gaze drops to my chest which is glowing softly with the pure light of the Matrix.

"And through its power, I will claim the new vessel for my resurrection...," a malicious smile appears on his thin lips, "...your body."

My optics widen.

_My __mouth opens. Strange words come out._

"_The sun burns. Power is mine."_

_It i__s not my voice though. It is the Fallen's dark voice coming from my own vocaliser._

_In the intricate __silver lines of the Matrix, I catch my reflection. My optics are no longer illuminating a blue light; they are fiery red. They are the malevolent optics of the Fallen._

Cold horror fills me.

"Impossible! You cannot inhabit a body that already carries a spark!" I reprove.

The Fallen's hand closes into a demonstrative fist.

"Then I guess the first spark will have to be crushed to make way for the new one."

From the Fallen's hands, fire shoots down to the black ground and travels like lightning toward me. It encircles me in a wide ring of flames. The Fallen's voice seems to echo from the wall of fire.

"As soon as I take control of the Matrix residing within you, your body will be mine to possess. And your spark will be extinguished!"

His blazing form appears through the fire by my side, taking me by surprise. Hot talons tear through my grilled abdomen as I turn to face him. The searing pain causes me to grasp at my wounded grill. The Fallen lunges at me again. Reacting instantly, I bring up a transparent energy barrier to stop him. I feel the vibrations of his impact as his burning hands slam into it. Bright ripples of violent energy are generated where his talons attempt to penetrate my barrier.

"Your face, your strength, your power will be mine!" he declares, molten red optics burning into mine, "With your image and voice, I could lead your precious Autobots to destruction. With your power, I could burn Earth and other worlds. Everything you love and sought to protect would be annihilated by your own hands!"

"Ne...ver!" I growl as I struggle to maintain my energy barrier against the immense pressure of his power.

"You took my body on Earth, but now I shall take yours!" he snarls, "You will give me life again!"

* * *

"His energy readings are still rising fast!" Jolt exclaimed in alarm, "The dampeners aren't working!"

Elita looked up at Ratchet frantically from Optimus' body.

"Ratchet, what's happening to him?!"

Ratchet focused his optics into Optimus' open chest. The white light from the Matrix was growing in intensity, almost merging with the light from the great spark beneath it.

"His systems are drawing energy from the Matrix at an uncontrolled rate!" Ratchet informed disbelievingly, "His body's overheating! I've never seen anything like it!"

"Then we've got to get the Matrix out of him!" Elita exclaimed, throwing her gaze down at the vibrant artefact in Optimus' chest.

Ratchet shook his head quickly.

"We can't! His body's building defences around it! He's not letting anyone near it!"

Ratchet, Elita and Jolt worriedly looked down again to see Optimus' internal parts subtly but noticeably rearranging themselves within his open chest. The Matrix seemed to be drawing its surrounding housing components tighter around itself, pulling wires and fuel lines toward and connecting them to itself. Strands of the Matrix's white energy were crackling through Optimus' circuitry.

"The Matrix is merging itself with his systems," Ratchet explained in a troubled tone, "Removing it now might take Optimus offline permanently."

"Then what can we do?" Jolt asked.

Ratchet paused uncertainly for a moment.

"We'll try and siphon off some of his excess energy." The Autobot medic turned to a box-shaped machine behind him and reached for some cables attached to it. "Hurry! Get these cables plugged in!"

Jolt speedily made his way around the repair table to help Ratchet. Elita moved herself higher up on the horizontal table out of their way. She watched anxiously as Ratchet and Jolt began to attach the siphoning cables into Optimus' chest.

Near the Autobot medical hanger entrance, Bumblebee turned to Ironhide and indicated to the entranceway with his thumb.

"We should...*crk*...wait outside," he said quietly.

The yellow Autobot scout looked down at Lennox and Epps as well and indicated with a tilt of his head for them to start moving out. They nodded obligingly and turned to leave. Bumblebee, Lennox and Epps walked out of the hanger. Ironhide also turned to follow them out, but he cast once last fearful glance back at his leader before striding out.

On the repair table, Elita was gazing in unsettled anxiety at the radiant glare of the Matrix as it continued to intertwine itself tighter into Optimus' internal systems. At its heart, she thought she saw a red flame piercing the pure white light.


	22. Battle Within Part 2

Here comes the second part of my 'finale' chapters! I'll be wrapping this fic up with an epilogue after this.

But before that, next week (and maybe the week after as well), i'm intending to post up another couple of short Transformers: Animated fics. Lately i've felt motivated to try writing in the TFA universe. So check those out too and let me know what you think.

If you haven't seen it yet, I've already got my first TFA ficlet "_Eulogy to A Fallen Hero_" up already. It's a touching read with Optimus Prime giving a eulogy speech at Prowl's funeral on Cybertron. Please have a read of it as well. You'll find it listed under my works.

And now we move on with chapter 22 of "_Tales of the Last Prime_". Optimus Prime battles the Fallen internally for control of the Matrix and his own body. Can he defeat his ancient foe a second time?

Again, for any new readers, the first person narration is coming from Optimus Prime's POV and is set in his internal mental world. The third person narration is set in the external world where Optimus is offline in Ratchet's medical bay.

Chapter 22: Battle Within – Part 2

My energy barrier weakens and the Fallen's devastating fire tears sharply through my hands and arms. I suppress my need to cry out to grunts of endurance.

"In your body, I will ascend as an immortal god over the cosmos!" His maniacal words accompany his scalding palms as they grip the armour of my lower arms. "The last Prime will burn with the fire of suns, life-sustaining and death-bringing! I will become a force unfathomable, uncontainable, both incredible and terrifying, feeding on suns and leaving dead worlds in my wake!"

"Lust for power corrupts you!" I accuse, "You are truly insane!"

With concentrated thought, I remove myself from the Fallen's burning grip by transporting myself elsewhere. A ball of light envelopes me and I relocate myself higher up. As I re-materialise, I spread my wing blades from my back; blue energy illuminates them. Suspended in the blackness, I look down only to find that the Fallen has also disappeared. I scan for him. Then his dark voice echoes around me.

"Is it insanity that I sought to fulfil our potential for ultimate power? We were destined for more than limited stewardship of Cybertron! We held the power of suns in our systems! We were made to stand above all other inferior life! Power was our divine right!"

I whirl round at the sound of a thundering boom from behind. In a blinding blaze, the Fallen appears above me and crashes into me. His hot talons dig painfully into my shoulder joints. Automatically, my wing blades attempt to compensate for the weight of two bodies pushing down on them; they twist downwards and, with an explosive burst of shimmering blue energy, propel me and my nemesis into an upward spiral.

We soar through the darkness locked in spinning combat. The stunning clash of our red and blue energies seems to generate the amazing light and heat of a supernova. Then the Fallen's telekinetic forces begin to drag and push me downwards simultaneously. My wing blades fail under the pressure and we plummet. The Fallen holds me firmly beneath him as we fall.

I crash into hard ground, the great weight of my nemesis on top of me.

"My brothers were fools to ignore our calling for greatness!" the Fallen bellows. His searing hot talons grip my battle mask. "They stuck rigidly to their code of protecting life and insisted always on taking only what they needed from the universe! For their narrow-mindedness, they had to die! As must you!"

Grabbing a hold of his flaming wrist, I tear his hand off my guarded face and twist it to one side.

"Betrayer!" I roar, "You placed your own ambitions over your brothers and turned against them! You brought down our Dynasty!"

Snapping out a glowing energon blade out from my free arm, I thrust it up at the Fallen's head. He swiftly catches my attack with his other hand though.

"'They' betrayed 'me'! By rejecting me!" he roars back at me.

Collecting my waning strength together, I force myself up to my feet and push the Fallen backwards. I, still holding his flaming wrist and he, my glowing bladed arm, we struggle to gain leverage over one another. As we tussle, our forms flare like oppositional yet mirroring radiant stars. Our energies interact violently against one another, crackling and flashing around and between us.

"You chose the path of conflict! And your hatred has divided our once united race!" I blast furiously.

Then, unexpectedly, a blast of fiery energy surges from the Fallen's body right into my already wounded grilled abdomen.

"AGH!"

I stagger back, gasping and clutching again at my damaged front. Then I fall forward. I feel my life energon leaking from my wound. Pain and weakness takes over my systems. I drop to my knees and tuck my head in as I try to endure the pain and refocus myself. The Matrix seems to be throbbing urgently in my chest now. The Fallen's voice rings in my audios.

"A vicious cycle! The conflicts of the past will continue in future generations. As I said to you before in dream, brother fights brother. Our war is eternal."

With a brutal swing of his burning fist across the damaged plates of my mask, he knocks me over onto my side. My vision begins to blur in and out of focus.

"I will never allow you to live again...," I utter, my determination strong but my strength evaporating.

I make out the Fallen's crimson optics narrowing. His hands rise upward and my entire body is lifted up by his telekinetic powers. I am held suspended in the darkness, my arms and legs pulled out. His words sink into my consciousness.

"You will not stop me this time, Optimus Prime. Your mind is vulnerable and weary. I have broken through your mental defences. You will succumb to me."

He reaches for my chest plates and his unseen energies begin to pull at them. The Matrix seems to scream in my chest. I feel it retreating deeper into me, burying itself into my circuitry, merging tighter into my internal systems. The pain I am experiencing is as much from the Matrix's desperate attempt to remain within me as it is from the Fallen's power trying to extract the powerful artefact from me.

My head swings back and a terrible scream erupts from my vocaliser.

* * *

"YOW!"

Ratchet pulled back his hand sharply from contact with Optimus' internal systems. He watched astonished as smoke rose from his fingers.

"Primus! He's melting through the cables!" Jolt cried, staring in shock at the siphon cables as they disintegrated in the Prime's open chest.

"And he's burnt up the energy dampeners!" Elita additionally announced from her viewing position above Optimus' head.

The Autobot leader's body's was emanating tremendous heat now. Ratchet, Jolt and Elita held their arms up in an attempt to shield themselves from the uncomfortable level of heat.

"He's drawing too much power from the Matrix! It's merging deeper into him!" Ratchet observed in dismay.

"Almost like his body's trying to protect it...," Elita tensely theorised.

"Protect it from what?" Jolt asked, panicked and puzzled at the same time, "WHOAH!"

Ratchet and Jolt jumped back in fright when Optimus' multiple wing blades swung out suddenly from the sides of the repair table, fiercely radiating with blue light. Elita's small body remained on the repair table above Optimus' head, but she also gasped in surprise as the illuminated wing blades shot out beneath her.

Vibrantly glowing veins of blue energy suddenly began spreading out from the Matrix through Optimus Prime's body. The white aura around the Matrix was expanding. Elita noticed fearfully that the strange red fire at the heart of the Matrix was beginning to taint the Matrix's white light and seep through into Optimus' blue energy veins.

The heat radiating from Optimus' body was rapidly becoming unbearable. The light from him was building to an alarming intensity.

"Elita! Jolt! Get out! Now!" Ratchet suddenly ordered.

"No! We can't leave him!" Elita stubbornly responded.

Without argument, Ratchet quickly grabbed Elita's small body in his larger hand from the repair table.

"Put me down, Ratchet!" she protested, wriggling in his grip.

Paying her no heed, Ratchet spun round and began running for the hanger entrance. Jolt was dashing ahead of him already. From behind them, the brilliant blue light from Optimus' body grew to fill the entire Autobot medical hanger. Watching from just outside the hanger, Ironhide, Bumblebee, Lennox and Epps saw the expanding light.

"What the...!" Lennox began in shock.

Ratchet, Elita and Jolt were knocked clear out of the hanger by a massive wave of blinding blue energy, landing flat onto their fronts outside. Ironhide, Bumblebee, Lennox and Epps were also thrown backwards off their feet. They all felt the invisible wave of energy pass over them.

After a few hazy seconds, the stunned Autobots and human soldiers slowly sat up and stared back at the Autobot medical hanger in bewilderment. Cracks had appeared along the walls from the force of the energy wave.

"OPTIMUS!" Elita shrilled.

* * *

All strength seems to have left me. Sensory input is numbing and jumbled. My mind is broken, scattered and under assault. The Matrix is pulsing painfully within me. And the Fallen's power is tearing into my chest. I am suspended helplessly in the air, unable to struggle against the Fallen's telekinetic hold upon me.

"I gave you the chance once to join me in fulfilling our destinies for godhood," he spitefully utters, "But like your predecessors, you rejected me."

My attempt to resist the pull of his telekinetic power on my chest panels is feeble. I am willing, pleading my body to remain closed, to protect the Matrix lying within me. It is futile though. The Fallen's is gradually prying me open.

"Take consolation in the fact that you will be joining your deceased brethren soon," he hisses darkly.

As my strength fails, I beg silently for help.

_I cannot do this alone... Forefathers, brothers... please...help me...give me strength..._

The frantic pulses of the Matrix pass through my spark. Then the Fallen finally tears apart my chest panels. The surge of pain causes me to throw my head back and scream again. The white light of the Matrix pours out of me and bathes the Fallen's fiery body. He admires it in triumphant awe. His talons approach to wrench it out of me.

"At last! The Matrix is mi..."

Aqua light suddenly washes over me. The Fallen backs away in surprise. A burst of energy explodes through my body. Familiar voices from the Matrix rise in my vocaliser, combining with mine, the voices of my Prime ancestors. We speak as one.

"**You are not worthy of our wisdom and power. We reject you, Nova Prime."**

Their energies as well as their voices fill me. The combined powers of the Primes are released from the Matrix, flooding through and radiating from my body. My chest panels slam shut.

The Fallen's face contorts into rage. Wisps of smoke rise from his molten red optics.

"I will not be denied!"

His telekinetic hold over me breaks as a wave of great white energy bursts forth from my body. It throws the Fallen back onto the dark ground. Spreading my illuminated wing blades, I hover above him. The Fallen attempts to stand again. Holding my hand out, I fire a blast of white energy. It explodes against him and knocks him down again. Sparks and molten energon pour from his damaged front.

As I float toward him, the collective consciousness of the Primes seems to merge with my mind. I see fleeting flashes of their memories and hear their converging voices. My thoughts become synchronous with their wisdom and beliefs. Their message to the Fallen takes form in the words that emerge from my vocaliser.

"**You forgot long ago what it means to be a Prime. It was never about greatness, destiny or power. It is about protecting and nurturing the things most precious in the universe: freedom, peace, wisdom, life. We serve a higher obligation than our own. We guide others so that they may learn, grow and transform themselves. The Primes were meant to suppor****t Cybertron in its development, not claim power over it."**

The Fallen, leaning forward to face me on an elbow and a bent arm, snarls with contempt. The molten red veins of his body smoulder.

"Accursed progeny of Prima!" he spits, "You even sound like him!"

He raises a flaming hand and fires off a blast at me. His fiery attack disperses harmlessly against an invisible force-field surrounding me. I look down unflinchingly into his burning crimson optics.

"Your corrupting ambition, hatred and vengeance must be stopped," I declare firmly, my words my own, "This ends now, Fallen."

Yellow liquid fire streams from his molten red optics down his heated obsidian face. For the briefest of moments, there is a strange look of deep sadness in his ancient red optics. But then it is gone faster than the blink of a human eye and replaced by a consuming and flaring fury.

"This will NEVER end!" he roars, "My war rages across your dying generation! As the Prime Dynasty fell so will the rest of the Cybertronian race! You will perish with the last of your warring people! There is no future left save one of death!"

The powers of the Matrix, of the Primes, flood me. Spreading my arms out, I begin to expand the energies out of my body. Pure white energy pours out of every part of me.

"The future is not yet written," I state calmly, "As long as there is life, there is hope."

The white energy spreads around us, pushing back the surrounding darkness.

"What...what are you doing?" the Fallen questions in alarm.

He looks down with a mixture of fear and anger at his feet as the white energy encompasses them and begins to travel up his body. The white energy is consuming him.

"This is _my_ mind, _my_ domain," I declare, "You are not welcome here."

The Fallen raises his hand to his face and watches in disbelief as it is swallowed by the white energy.

"Your part in the war is over, Fallen," I state, "My race is finally free from your undying rage and vengeance. It is time for you to be gone...permanently."

The radiance of the white energy washing over his entire body intensifies. He lets out a roar of fury as his head is cocooned in the white light. Then in a bright flash, the Fallen finally vanishes from existence.

"Your shadow will haunt me no longer," I whisper tonelessly, "Farewell, fallen Prime."

The white light begins to enclose around me, blinding, warming... It feels almost like I am floating in the heart of a sun once again. My hand falls over my chest. A deep, familiar and comforting voice rises from the Matrix within.

"**Rise, my Sun..."**

My vision hazes. The enshrouding whiteness collapses in on me...

"Father...," I utter.

An explosion of white light... I fall into stasis...

* * *

...and awaken again...

His fingers twitched.

His royal blue optics came back online, slowly.

A bland ceiling with cracks running across it came into his clearing vision. He shuttered his optics.

Groggily, his head rolled to the side. He observed equipment and tools that had been knocked over and strewn across the floor. There were more cracks along the walls.

Optimus Prime finally registered that he was in Ratchet's medical hanger at N.E.S.T. base on Diego Garcia. He recognised his medical officer's scattered equipment and tools on the floor. But the area looked like it had been hit by a bomb. What had happened? Had he caused all this damage whilst in stasis? Where was everyone?

Optimus lifted his hand over his chest. Touching internal circuitry, he realised his chest plates were open. His fingers searched instinctively for the Matrix. He found it, steadily radiating gentle warmth. Satisfied that it was safe and undamaged, he mentally commanded his chest panels to shut over it.

Then he pushed himself to sit up. Looking down at the repair table he had been lying on, he wondered just how long had he been offline? Approaching feet from the entrance of the hanger made Optimus look up. He saw Ironhide, Bumblebee, Ratchet, Jolt, Elita, Major Lennox and Sergeant Epps rushing into the hanger. They froze as soon as they saw him.

"Great spark!" Jolt exclaimed, his optics wide with shock.

"Optimus! You're online!" cried Ironhide, surprise and relief evident on his face.

Optimus slid himself off the repair table to face his friends. His pointed antennae nearly punctured the ceiling of the hanger as he stood to full height.

Elita raced forward toward him and pressed herself against his long leg in obvious relief. She looked up uncomprehendingly at him.

"We thought you...," she began.

Optimus bent down and calmly scooped her up in his hands to reassure her.

"I am functional and well, Elita," he rumbled.

Ratchet cast his optics over his damaged work area. His shoulders slumped.

"My medical hanger...," he mumbled flatly.

Jolt gave him a consoling pat on the arm. Lennox also took in the sight of the damaged hanger.

"There goes N.E.S.T.'s funding for the next month," he sighed, "Into building repairs and equipment replacement. Galloway's gonna love this."

Optimus tilted his head toward Ratchet and Lennox and offered them an apologetic look.

"My apologies, Ratchet, Major Lennox. It appears I have caused some damage in my time offline." Optimus' optics swept over all his present comrades. His tone became serious and grateful at the same time. "I am just glad I did not harm anyone..."

Epps rubbed at his sore back that he had landed heavily on. He was sure it was bruised.

"Yeah, no harm done," he grumbled.

Bumblebee glanced up quizzically at Optimus.

"So what *crzt* happened to you?"

Optimus looked down wearily at his yellow scout.

"I had a nightmare, Bumblebee. But fortunately, I woke up."


	23. Epilogue 1: Destiny

It's been a while, but I finally got round to writing the epilogues for this fic. I apologise to waiting readers. I'm afraid I was postponed by a new motivation to write TFA fics during the last few weeks and hence my new fics of late: "**TFA: Glimpses**" and "**In Another Time**". If you're a fan of the TFA series, check 'em out! I'm fairly confident you won't be disappointed! But in regards to this fic, I am now beginning to bring it to a close with this first epilogue. Turns out there's going to be 2 epilogues now since I couldn't fit it all into one (which was my original intention).

I'd like to give my thanks again to those who have been following and reviewing this story in the past. Your comments have always been so rewarding for me to read! Truly, thank you all very much!

This fic has been an exploration of the ROTF movie idea of Optimus Prime being the last descendent of the Prime Dynasty, and it has taken him on a transformational journey that has delved into moments from his past, led him into the heart of a sun and seen him confront The Fallen once more within his own mind. After all that, the only question that remains is: what lies ahead in the last Prime's future? In this first epilogue, Optimus Prime looks into his distant destiny. What is to be the final fate of the last Prime?

This chapter's written again from Optimus Prime's first-person perspective. The italics indicate dialogue from the past.

And a reminder of time units: a meta-cycle equates to a year and a deca-cycle equates to a month.

**Epilogue 1: Destiny**

Four million meta-cycles ago...

"_As Lord High Protector, I, Megatron, swear by the power of the Allspark to protect Cybertron strongly and fearlessly, and, alongside my ruling brother, to serve her people all my days."_

"_As Lord High Governor, I, Optimus, swear b__y the power of the Allspark to govern Cybertron wisely and justly, and, alongside my ruling brother, to serve her people all my days."_

The oaths I and my former brother-in-arms took when we rose as joint leaders of our world. We pledged to lead Cybertron fairly and firmly together.

Thousands of meta-cycles later, we led her into a war that would span millennia...

"_I implore you, brother. Don't force us down this path of conflict. Don't tear our brotherhood apart. Don't tear our world apart."_

"_Look at you, Optimus, pitifully pleading for peace. You are so weak."_

"_Don't force me…to oppose you.__"_

Now, Cybertron is desolate and dying, and it is our combined fault. Our war has drained her life-energon over the centuries, and we have abandoned her.

I have failed. I have failed to save my homeworld from the destructive ravages of war.

I would do anything to bring life back to Cybertron, to see our lands and our homes being rebuilt, to have the hope of creating new generations for our now dying race once again, for without life, there can be no hope for us.

Without the Allspark or the sun-harvesting technology of the Primes, there is no known way to restore life to our dying homeworld and race. All hope seems lost...

Then a distant future presents itself to me. In vision, I see myself, as I am now, looking up at new rising Cybertronian structures, at a Cybertron in the process of being rebuilt, recovering after millennia of devastating war.

I see my gaze fall down to a large group of Autobots gathered before me, faces old and new watching me with a mute sadness: Ironhide, Ratchet, Bumblebee, Sideswipe, a matured Skids and Mudflap, and Arcee, Chromia and Elita in different bodies amongst others. And around the gathered Autobots, a line of five large, winged Cybertronians stand. They seem very aged, very much like Jetfire. I realise they are ancient Seekers. They too are watching me with heavy faces.

"My brothers and sisters," I hear myself address all, "we have entered a time of uncertainty and apprehensiveness. With the end of war, we are left in a new and difficult situation. We are faced with the prospect of rebuilding our lives and our world once again. But we have limited energy and resources with which to accomplish that."

The solemn silence and mood hanging over my audience of Autobots and Seekers are unlike any I have witnessed before. It is as if they are all grieving. They look at me with lost and pained optics as I continue speaking to them.

"After today, it is my fervent hope that Cybertron will once again be able to sustain the survivors of this and future generations to come. With what I am about to do, I believe life can be properly restored to our world, and thus Cybertron will be born anew. For that reason, today is a day to rejoice, not mourn."

There are modest smiles contrasting with dull optics and brave fronts concealing melancholy moods amongst my listening comrades. I watch myself slowly passing my vibrant blue gaze over all of them.

"Every one of you here are my closest and most trusted friends. I have relied on each of you at some point during my long life for something of importance to me, and none of you have ever let me down. From today onwards, I rely on you all more than ever. I know I lay a great responsibility on your already weary shoulders, but I am confident that you will all find a way to continue on without me."

My voice is confident, certain.

"You will learn to move on from war, though you will never forget its harsh lessons. You will adapt to peaceful living, but no doubt always be prepared to fight again if necessary. Together, you will lead Cybertron and our people into a new golden age of peace, growth and wisdom, a golden age that will be stronger and less ignorant of the past than previous ages. With the power to live again, our world and race will thrive and continue to transform, to evolve. On this note, I leave you all to oversee the growth and restoration of our world in my stead."

My voice falls to a sincere depth.

"Do not grieve for me, my brothers and sisters. I go to perform my final duty gladly and proudly, knowing that I am bringing life back to our world and people. Soon, I shall be a part of Cybertron. And I will live on in her very core."

I pause, seemingly unsure how to say my next utterance, but I find my words.

"And so...this is goodbye...for now, but never forever, in body, but never in spark..."

"All hail Optimus Prime!" Ironhide suddenly shouts out, "Cybertron's greatest leader, saviour and hero!"

Ironhide's call is followed promptly by hands rising to head plates as my Autobot comrades salute to me. The Seekers drop onto their knees with surprising grace for their size in respectful bows before me.

I bring my hand to my own forehead in a returning salute. Then two of the Seekers stand and begin to move forward toward me. One of them, of a light grey colour, bows his head to me and speaks.

"We are ready to leave whenever you are, Lord Prime."

I nod at him then turn back for a final time to my Autobots. Elita approaches me tentatively. She has a taller bipedal form of purple, red and white colours that appears to come up to my waist in height. I drop down to one knee to come face to face with her. She reaches for my cheek with an anxious hand. She is attempting to hold a brave face for me, but I can see the fragility of it. I take her hand in both of mine.

"Optimus..." It escapes her vocaliser as a quivering whisper.

I hold her gaze evenly in my own, trying to provide her with some measure of strength and courage.

"Elita, I have known for a long time that this day would come, my final act to revive Cybertron... And I knew it would not be easy to accept for most of us..."

I bring a finger under her small chin.

"But this is not the end, beloved. It is to be a new beginning for us all."

Her fingers tighten around mine in my grasp.

"Optimus, I want to go with you...," she utters weakly.

I pause. Our forever binding feelings pass through my spark.

"Where I am going, you cannot follow, Elita," I finally tell her gently.

She watches me with helpless yet beautiful azure optics.

"Don't leave me, Optimus...," she murmurs, barely audible.

I lean forward and bring my lips to the side of her head, next to her audio sensor.

"Never...my love...," I whisper.

I watch myself press my crested forehead onto hers. Both my and Elita's optics shut down momentarily at the same time, savouring the tender contact. Elita's head tilts slightly to one side and drops down toward my nasal plates. The smooth lines of our nasal plates touch. Our optics are still offline. Then as we pull apart, the light returns to our optics.

I rise to my feet and turn back to the rest of my Autobot comrades.

"The future of our world and race is in your hands, my friends," I tell them, "I know Cybertron will flourish under your careful leadership."

Ironhide speaks beside me. "Rest assured, Optimus, your wisdom and compassion will still guide Cybertron and her people through us."

I lay a heavy hand on his thickly-armoured shoulder.

"Thank you, old friend."

Ironhide bows his head. I nod at him then turn to the Seekers again.

"Silverbolt, Air Raid, I am ready. Take me to Solaris."

The light grey Seeker that had spoken to me before and another darker grey one simultaneously bow to me.

"Primus be with you, Optimus Prime," I hear Ratchet pray aloud.

I cast a luminous gaze at my Autobots.

"Until the day when all are one," I utter.

"'Till all are one," they chorus back.

Then the two Seekers' bodies and mine are engulfed in white spheres of light. In blinding flashes, we disappear.

We re-materialise in the darkness of deep space. In the distance, I see a small but strong source of light: a distant sun.

"Solaris lies far ahead," the light grey Seeker, Silverbolt, informs, "This is the closest we have been able to come to it. Any nearer and its energy would disrupt our systems and shut us down quickly."

The dark grey Seeker, Air Raid, continues on from Silverbolt.

"No life can possibly survive within orbit of this sun. Its power and heat is such that it burns anything surrounding it. I am afraid this is the furthest we can take you to Solaris, Lord Prime."

"You have done more than enough, Silverbolt and Air Raid," I assure them, "The rest of the journey is mine to make alone."

"Lord Prime, once more, are you sure you want to go through with this?" Silverbolt asks quietly.

"I have already made my decision," I reply firmly.

The two Seekers bow their heads solemnly. I regard them seriously.

"Aid my Autobot brothers and sisters in the restoration of our world," I instruct them, "See that our people grow and thrive from the ashes of war. Bring about our vision of peace. Farewell, my brothers."

Spreading my wing blades and activating their energies, I then take off in the direction of 'Solaris'.

"Farewell, Optimus Prime, son of Prima, last of the Primes...," I hear Silverbolt sadly utter behind me, his voice rapidly diminishing with distance.

As I fly toward the distant sun, I open a space bridge around myself, directing my teleportation energies toward my solar target.

I emerge into the flaring heat and light of Solaris' fiery surface. Immediately, I can feel her raw power, her incredible energy, unlike any other sun I, or any of my ancestral Primes, have ever encountered. This is surely one of the universe's most powerful suns.

I begin to fly straight down through the solar heat currents and swirling fire. I am the only life-form in this universe that can withstand such lethal conditions. My body seems to taste the solar fire around it as I travel deeper into the sun.

Destiny is leading me to my final purpose, a purpose that all my ancestral Primes were created for: to consume the energy of suns. The unique solar energy-consuming capability of the Primes will be Cybertron's salvation. I possess the ability to revive our world. I will consume Solaris' immeasurable energy and with it, restore power to the core of Cybertron. I will sacrifice myself to give new life to my world again.

I have glimpsed this destiny many times through the gift of foresight. As my father, Prima, foresaw his destiny to create one final son that would be the last of the Prime Dynasty, I too have foreseen my destiny to restore life to Cybertron after millennia of war.

I am so near to the sea of liquid fire. The light...the heat...if only they could see it...if only they could feel it... It's unimaginably beautiful...and the feeling of solar heat is like no other...

I plunge into the sea of lava. Her fire engulfs me. Currents of blazing heat wash around me. I lose myself in her molten depths. My whole body seems to come alive in the impossible temperatures of the primal solar fire. Then gradually, I begin to consume the fire. It fills me, burning and incredible, powerful and nourishing, destructive and life-giving. The Matrix within me draws the immense raw heat and energy into my body. I allow myself to feed on the immense solar energies like never before, unrestrained, monstrous in my appetite. My body is absorbing and containing the immeasurable power of one of the universe's most powerful suns. I am eating Solaris, and my body is becoming a vessel for her blazing energy.

Time passes. How long I am not sure. But eventually, I feel Solaris diminishing around me. I have consumed much of her energy, taking it into my body. The light and fire of Solaris radiates from my being. I have drained Solaris significantly. She is weakened and will be shorter-lived. I regret that I have had to take so much from her, but I rejoice that with her energies, Cybertron will live again. It is my hope that this is the last time I will ever need to take from a sun. After this, Cybertron will be able to sustain herself.

I leave Solaris behind and teleport to the very core of Cybertron. There I will enact my final sacrifice for my world and people. The mysterious technological heart of Cybertron, Vector Sigma, appears in my view: a giant, pure gold spherical computer matrix. It is linked to the planet through a complex network of veins spreading out from its spherical surface to the walls of its enormous chamber.

The solar radiation of my body pours over Vector Sigma and I feel it pulling me in. I do not resist. My burning hands make contact with the golden sphere and begin to merge with it. I am drawn in. Vector Sigma embraces me into its body.

Suddenly, but calmly, everything changes.

I feel every part of me linking with the ancient veins of my homeworld. I feel myself being tied into the core of Cybertron. Then I grow aware of Cybertron herself: her pain, her needs, her dependent life. From my body, the energy of Solaris flows out, becoming the new life-energon of Cybertron. The planet begins to feed from me. Starved for so long, she drinks deeply from the energy I offer her.

I am Cybertron's new source of sustenance. I am her new heart. I live within her. I beat within her. I am one with her.

I pour myself into her...and Cybertron gasps with new life...


	24. Epilogue 2: Seeking

Optimus Prime has seen his future. And out of his prophetic vision, two mysterious and ancient visitors arrive on Diego Garcia to usher in the last Prime's destiny.

Note that this second epilogue is written in third-person narrative as we emerge out of Optimus' internal vision and back out into external events.

There'll be one more bonus epilogue after this to finally conclude this story!

**Epilogue 2: Seeking**

His optics came back online in the present. The future dissipated from his view. There was dry rock beneath him. The peaceful sounds of an ocean's tides washed through his audio sensors.

Optimus raised his head from his state of dreaming distraction. He looked out across the Indian Ocean surrounding the Earth island of Diego Garcia. He became aware again of his kneeling position on top of a cliff. Below him, he saw the ocean's waves crash against the lower rocks of the cliff wall.

With one knee on the rocky ground and an elbow resting on top of the knee of his other upward bent leg, Optimus waited patiently as his senses fully returned to his immediate surroundings. His unpredictable moments of vision were always vivid enough to mentally transport him elsewhere. He was getting used to and faster at recovering from them now, but he still needed a few moments to allow his processor and sensors to readjust back to his real surroundings when the visions ended.

_My oath of old will be kept. I will not fail my world and people. The true legacy of the Primes will live on. Through me, their last surviving son, their wisdom and compassion will be passed on to the Autobots I lead. The war will __come to an end. The Autobots will return home. Cybertron will be reborn. And my final destiny will be fulfilled..._

As the prophetic thoughts ran through his processor, Optimus heard the sounds of jets approaching nearby. He looked up to his side. Two fighter jets, a dark and a lighter grey pair, flew past him toward the island some distance away. They did not look like any of the N.E.S.T. military crafts that Optimus had seen before. He stood up, suspicious. His optics narrowed as he attempted to magnify his vision on the jets. They were indeed unfamiliar.

Optimus spread his multiple wing blades out from his back. Blue light radiated from them as they charged up. Then Optimus dropped himself off the edge of the cliff and gracefully into the air. He pulled himself up on the air currents, rising higher into the sky then circled his flight path around in the direction of the two unknown jets. He followed them.

Inland, on the N.E.S.T. military base, Major Lennox and Sergeant Epps were travelling in a military jeep followed by the Arcee motorcycle triplets when they noticed two strange jets approaching above. Epps, who was driving the jeep, brought the vehicle to a halt when Lennox alerted him to the sight of the two jets. Arcee and her sisters also stopped behind them and transformed into their single-wheeled robot modes. They all looked up at the jets curiously. Lennox and Epps had to shield their eyes from the glare of the afternoon sun.

"Those jets are flying awful low," commented Epps.

Lennox frowned. "I don't recall any scheduled practice flights for today."

An expression of concentration painted Elita One's face as she watched the jets passing over them. Then she looked back down at her red and blue sisters.

"I'm picking up Cybertronian energy signatures from them!" she announced.

"Decepticons?" Chromia immediately questioned.

"I can't discern their signals," Elita replied seriously.

Arcee was quick to act. She brought her arm up and activated her comm unit.

"Ironhide, come in, we have incoming unknown Cybertronian flyers approaching base!" she reported, "They may be Decepticons. Should we open fire?"

Ironhide's voice came through loud and clear from Arcee comm.

"Shoot to bring them down, but not to kill. We can't take any chances. I'll be out with you all in a moment."

Arcee looked at Chromia and Elita. An energy rifle came together over her right arm.

"You heard him, sisters. Bring them down, but non-lethal force."

Chromia smiled. "I was hoping Ironhide would say that."

A long energy canon almost bigger than Chromia herself transformed out of her left arm. From underneath Elita's right hand emerged a crackling energy blade. The three motorcycle sisters took off in pursuit of the jets from the ground.

"No way are they leaving us out of the action!" Lennox declared, "Move it, Epps!"

Epps stepped on the gas pedal of the jeep and the two soldiers took off to follow Arcee and her sisters.

Leading in front of her sisters, Chromia raised her over-sized weapon to the sky, taking aim at one of the unknown jets.

"Chromia, remember, non-lethal!" Arcee warned her blue sister as she also raised her energy rifle upwards at the second jet.

"Don't worry, this won't hurt him...," Chromia fired off a blast, "much..."

With expert precision, Arcee also fired a shot. Both shots struck their airborne targets on the wings. The jets began descending, smoke trailing from their damaged wings.

"We got 'em!" Chromia triumphantly declared.

Lennox and Epps's military jeep came to a stop behind Arcee and her sisters just as the jets came hurtling down to earth. The two men gasped and leaned forward covering their heads when they saw the falling jets dropping toward their position. With ground-shaking impact, the jets crashed in front of Arcee and her sisters, sliding and cutting deeply through a few metres of tarmac and raising dust and dirt. They did not move when they came to a stop. Chromia began to approach them, holding up her huge energy canon. But Elita shot her hand out and stopped her blue sister.

"Easy, Chromia," she advised, her azure optics still focused ahead at the seemingly immobile jets, "Approach with caution. They may still be..."

Suddenly, the jets began to transform.

"...dangerous!"

Parts shifted and rearranged on the jets to reveal two gigantic robots that were reminiscent in design to Jetfire and seemed as aged as him, though they appeared to be in better working condition than him. As they rose to their feet, they glared with threatening red optics at Arcee and her sisters.

"Who dares to shoot us down?" one of them, a dark grey one, boomed furiously.

The other one, a light grey one, scanned the female Autobot sisters analytically.

"Brother, these are Autobots," he mumbled to his fellow, "Perhaps the strong energy signal we tracked from this island was not of the one we were searching for then..."

The sounds of several roaring engines suddenly intruded upon the scene. Ironhide, Sideswipe and the Autobot Twins in vehicle modes, along with a handful of N.E.S.T. military vehicles, arrived to join the Arcee sisters and Lennox and Epps. The newly arrived company positioned themselves in a semi-circular line around the giant Cybertronian flyers. Ironhide and the other Autobots transformed and raised their respective firing weapons at the two large flyers. The N.E.S.T. soldiers followed suit and also raised their guns and canons at them.

"Don't move! Identify yourselves!" Ironhide ordered.

The two intimidating flyers glared back warily and angrily at their seemingly hostile company. Low rumbling growls emanated from their vocalisers.

"Leave us be, Autobots!" the light grey flyer warningly snapped, "We have no time for or interest in fighting with you! We have a more important mission to attend to!"

"You senior bots need a reason to be interested in us?" Sideswipe threatened. His Cybertanium blades shot out of right arm. "How's this then?"

"Cocky, turbo-revvin' young punk!" the dark grey flyer snarled at the silver Autobot, "Your generation has much to learn, starting with proper respect for your elders!"

"We got yo 'respect' right here, old-timers!" Mudflap yelled, cocking his firearm weapon.

Skids scowled at his copper brother.

"'Flap, that is such a lame line, bro."

Mudflap shot his green brother an annoyed glare.

"I don't see you comin' up with anything better, Skids-brains!"

"Hush you two!" Arcee hissed at the bickering twins.

Skids and Mudflap fell silent abruptly. With arm cannons still pointed at them, Ironhide addressed the unknown Cybertronian flyers firmly again.

"You're not going anywhere until we know who you are and what your business here is!" he stated commandingly.

The dark grey flyer brought a heavy foot slamming down into the ground threateningly.

"Foolish young Autobots!" he bellowed, "Do not seek to challenge us! We are of an older and more powerful breed of Cybertronians!"

The sounds of arming weapons crescendoed through the line of Autobots and human soldiers. They prepared for any sudden moves from their targets.

"They've got to be Decepticons!" Sideswipe declared at Ironhide.

Ironhide was about to respond when a blinding ball of light manifested in front of the Autobot and human company. The light disintegrated to reveal Optimus Prime standing with hands fisted by his thighs and his multiple illuminated wing blades spread imposingly behind him. He faced the giant Cybertronian flyers. They were as tall as him, but his sudden appearance had seemed to shock and stun them into momentary silence. Then slowly, Optimus began to power down and fold his wing blades...

"Good timing, Optimus," Ironhide commented, "Got a couple of potential Decepticons here."

"Stand down, Autobots," Optimus suddenly ordered.

The Autobots and human soldiers looked at him in surprise and puzzlement.

"What?" a few of them said together.

Meanwhile, the Cybertronian flyers were focused solely on Optimus Prime.

"Can it be...?" the light grey flyer suddenly said in a tone of wonder, staring intently at the Autobot leader, "Yes! It's...it's him! We have found him at last!"

The light grey Cybertronian flyer took a step forward.

"Keep your distance!" Ironhide warned, pointing his arm canons at the light grey flyer.

Optimus quickly held his hand up to Ironhide.

"No! Lower your weapons, Autobots."

Ironhide lifted an optic ridge uncertainly at Optimus.

"Prime, we don't know who these...," he began.

Optimus cut him off. "Do as I say!"

There was a brief pause.

"Yes, sir," Ironhide submitted.

He and the other Autobots lowered their weapons. The human soldiers did the same. Joining his light grey fellow flyer, the dark grey flyer also took an eager step forward toward Optimus.

"Jetfire's final transmission was right!" he declared, "The last Prime exists here on Earth!"

Quickly, the light grey flyer addressed Optimus.

"Do not be alarmed, Lord Prime. We are..."

"Seekers...Silverbolt and Air Raid," Optimus finished calmly for them.

Their red optics widened in surprise. The other silently watching Autobots and human soldiers also looked at Optimus questioningly.

"You...know us, Lord Prime?" the light grey Seeker, Silverbolt, questioned wonderingly.

Optimus tilted his head slightly at them.

"Not yet," he responded with an odd calmness, "But I believe we are about to become acquainted..."

The Seekers seemed to study the Autobot leader's face carefully.

"You bear the mark of Prima!" Silverbolt observed aloud, "If you recognise us already, it can only be because you must possess his gift of foresight also!"

Optimus raised an optic ridge curiously.

"You...knew Prima?"

The Seekers looked at Optimus reverently.

"Son of Prima, long ago, we served the proud Dynasty of Primes," Silverbolt revealed, "Since the fall of the Dynasty, most of our kind back on Cybertron and on this organic planet powered down into deep stasis for millions of meta-cycles. Without our former masters, our existences lost meaning. We faded into obscurity as a new generation of Cybertronians arose in our place."

"But we received a transmission from our Seeker brother, Jetfire, many deca-cycles ago before he apparently went offline," the darker Seeker, Air Raid, continued, "He spoke of 'the last living Prime' here on Earth. He spoke of you. We have been searching for you on this planet ever since receiving his final message."

The Autobots and human soldiers listened to the exchange going on between Optimus and the ancient Seekers in keen interest.

Optimus' head lowered. His optics drifted down to the ground as he remembered his brief encounter with Jetfire in Egypt over half an Earth year ago.

"I met Jetfire briefly...before he sacrificed himself to aid me in battle against the Fallen...," Optimus informed respectfully, "Though I did not have the chance to know your Seeker brother, I owe him my gratitude for providing me with the means and power to defeat the Fallen and end his threat to this world."

"Jetfire was a loyal servant of the Prime Dynasty, as we are. There is no prouder way he could go offline than in service to a son of the Primes," Air Raid declared with certainty.

The quietly observing Autobots and humans gaped in surprise as the two Seekers knelt down before Optimus.

"Lord Prime, we live to serve the Dynasty," stated Silverbolt humbly, "You are all that remains of it now."

Both Seekers' heads bowed low.

"We pledge our undying loyalty to you," they declared together.

This took even Optimus Prime by surprise. He shifted nervously.

"Umm...there is no need for you to kneel," Optimus said with some discomfort, "Please rise."

The Seekers did so. They stood back up.

"There is much about the past we can tell you, Lord Prime," Silverbolt offered earnestly, "Anything you wish to know of your ancestry. The loss of your Prime forefathers and siblings was a great one for our world and people. But now that we have found you, the last surviving son of the Primes, there is hope once again for us all. And we and other Seekers have purpose once more."

Optimus' royal blue optics glowed gently at the Seekers.

"I would like to hear your stories, Silverbolt and Air Raid," he said sincerely, "But though the past is full of intriguing tales that can reveal much about ourselves, more important to me is the future and the new stories we will shape with the rest of our lives."

The Seekers seemed to smile.

"Wise words, young master Prime," Air Raid commented, "Spoken very much like your sire."

"My name is Optimus Prime," Optimus informed suggestively, "You are welcome to call me that."

"You are a Prime, my lord," Silverbolt stubbornly stated, "It is only right for us to address you as Lord and Master."

Optimus quietly sighed to himself as Skids broke the silence of the watching Autobots and humans.

"Y'know, we just call him 'sir' or 'Prime' or 'Optimus'."

Air Raid turned to look down at the small green Autobot disapprovingly.

"Like I said before, you young bots need to learn proper respect for your elders," he grumpily lectured.

"Prime's pets," Ironhide grumbled.

Optimus turned to address all his present company, Autobots, humans and Seekers.

"Come, my friends," he rumbled warmly, "We have much to share...," he gazed down softly at Elita who was moving to his side, "...and only finite time in which to accomplish what we need and want to."

The last Prime looked up into the sky with distant and entranced optics. The sun burned in his vision. A prophetic resonance tainted his deep voice.

"Destiny is always approaching. And tomorrow brings us a step closer to our final chapters."


	25. Epilogue 3: The Hunt

And with this final epilogue, we say good night to **_Tales of The Last Prime_**. It's been stimulating and fun to write and is my longest-running TFs fic of all. Thank you so much to everyone who's reviewed, favourited, story alerted and just simply spent time reading chapters of this story.

Originally, I wasn't going to post this chapter. It was a rejected early epilogue draft. But I reconsidered and decided to put it up after all. I thought it might be a bit of a laugh and an extra bit of action, which this fic hasn't had much of overall.

After this, I think I'll be moving on to more TFA writing. **_In Another Time_** has another 2 parts to be posted and I have some rather big ideas for **_TFA: Glimpses _**in the future! So check those fics out if you're a TFA fan (**_In Another Time_** is one for the Optimus/Elita supporters!)!

And just to get word out on it, I recently made a video comparing TFA Optimus & Blackarachnia with Goliath & Demona from the 90s show "Gargoyles". Check it out on youtube and leave your thoughts on it. Add: **/watch?v=QJ1GrQn_rTA** at the end of the youtube URL to see it. The video's called: _**Parallels: Optimus & Blackarachnia and Goliath & Demona**_. In it, I've combined some Demona and Goliath dialogue with TFA video clips of Optimus and Blackarachnia. I've also chosen a few screenshots from both cartoon shows comparing Demona and Blackarachnia/Elita-1 and Goliath and Optimus in what I thnk are rather similar ways. If you were a "Gargoyles" fan and are a TFA fan, have a look!

In this final epilogue, the Autobots and N.E.S.T. forces are on active duty again when more Decepticons are detected in the U.S. city of Salem in Oregon. As Major Lennox and N.E.S.T. soldiers work to evacuate the roads of Salem, the Autobots are hot pursuit of some new Decepticons...

**Epilogue 3: The Hunt**

[Time: 8pm; Location: Salem, Oregon, U.S.A.]

Sitting in the back of his chauffeur-driven Mercedes Benz E-Class Saloon, National Security Advisor, Director Theodore Galloway, took a sip from a paper cup of coffee. He swallowed then looked critically down at the cup. That was the last time he would buy from that particular coffee shop he decided grumpily.

"How much further to go?" he then called to his driver somewhat impatiently.

"Not much further, Mr. Galloway," the driver replied in mild annoyance, casting a glare through his rear view mirror at his impatient passenger.

Galloway returned his disapproving gaze to his cup of coffee.

Suddenly, there was an ear-piercing whistle. Then the untamed burst of an explosion shook the road up ahead. All at once, there was the screeching of several tyres and horns blaring in chaos. In a panic, the driver brought the Mercedes Benz to a screeching halt. Galloway was thrown forward against his seatbelt and his cup of coffee out of his hand. The scalding hot liquid spilt over his legs.

"YOW!" the N.S.A. cried out in pain.

Boy did that smart. But Galloway had no time to complain about it. Through his window, he saw that several other vehicles had come to a sudden stop, nearly piling into one another, and there were people stepping out of their cars and trying to see what had happened up ahead. Fire and smoke were rising from where the explosion had occurred. Some people began running from the scene of chaos.

Galloway then heard the sounds of running feet approach. He turned his head to see the forms of a few soldiers running toward him, accompanied by what looked like a little toy RC monster truck beside them. He blinked at seeing the latter. Was he seeing things? Then he recognised one of the soldiers coming right up to his door. There was no forgetting the one that had thrown him out of a C-17 cargo plane months ago.

"Lennox?" he blurted in surprise.

What was he doing here? The Major rapped against Galloway's window. He looked serious.

"Open the door!" he yelled.

"Yeah, open the door ya idiot!" a rude little voice piped up from below Galloway's car window. Galloway frowned at this. He saw Lennox look down sternly at something underneath him. But he quickly returned his impatient attention back to Galloway. "I said open the door!"

Galloway did as he was told and pulled the latch of his door. Lennox swung the released car door wide open.

"What the hell is going on here, Major?" Galloway demanded in bewilderment.

"This is a danger zone! We need to get you out of here, sir!" Lennox hurriedly informed as he undid Galloway's seatbelt and dragged him out of the car. He tossed his head up and looked over the top of the car. "Epps, the driver!"

From the driver's side of the car, Sergeant Epps was helping Galloway's driver out.

"Got him!" Epps replied back to Lennox.

"Danger zone?" Galloway began, confused, "But…"

"Hey watch where yer steppin', klutz!" the rude little voice from below shouted again.

Galloway looked down, startled, and saw a tetchy-looking Wheelie in robot mode glaring haughtily up at him.

"What's this…'thing' doing here?" he growled, pointing a distasteful finger at the little ex-Decepticon scout.

Lennox looked back somewhat grumpily at Galloway again.

"'Wheelie' here is going to get you to safety, Mr. Galloway," the Major answered firmly and unsympathetically.

"Safety. Safety from what? What exactly is…," Galloway began.

"No time to explain!" Lennox interrupted, "Just listen to me! You need to follow Wheelie here. He'll lead you out of the danger zone to somewhere safe."

Galloway glanced down again in disgust at the little foul-mouthed ex-Decepticon.

"I am NOT following that little pile of scrap metal anywhere!" he stubbornly declared.

Wheelie looked up at Lennox in an annoyed manner.

"Can we just leave him here to burn?" he asked hopefully.

Ignoring him, Lennox grabbed the N.S.A. roughly by his shirt collar and pulled him toward his stern sweating face.

"If you want to live, Mr. Galloway, you will follow Wheelie out of here!" he threateningly ordered. He gave Galloway a rough shove. "Now get going!"

Wheelie transformed back into his toy RC monster truck mode.

"Yeah, get a move on ya moron!" Wheelie snapped impatiently.

"Why you obnoxious little…," Galloway angrily started.

"Just shut up and run!" Lennox barked at Galloway, pointing away for emphasis.

Grudgingly and grumbling, Galloway followed behind the little toy truck as he drove away. Lennox took off down the road to search for any other people still in their cars.

Nearby, the sounds of roaring engines zoomed by.

* * *

Along a road a short distance away, the trio of Arcee sisters, in motorbike modes, were in hot pursuit of a car and another motorbike, two Decepticons.

"Ironhide, we're leading them your way!" Arcee informed down her com-link.

"We're ready for 'em," Ironhide's gruff voice acknowledged back over the com-link.

"Never had this many fembots chasing after us," exclaimed the motorbike Decepticon, laughing.

The three Autobot sisters transformed simultaneously and drew up their firearm weapons.

"Get over yourself, Decepticon!" Chromia snapped back. She fired a shot dangerously close behind the motorbike Decepticon.

"_Don't overdo it, Chromia_," Elita One cautioned over their mental link, "_We're supposed to lead them to Ironhide, trap then take them down together._"

"What's the matter, female Autobots?" the car Decepticon taunted, "Can't keep up with us?"

A black GMC Topkick pick-up truck and a green Hummer vehicle suddenly appeared in front of the two Decepticons. They skidded sideways in surprise and came to a stop just before hitting the other two vehicles. The Topkick and Hummer transformed into Ironhide and Ratchet, armed with glowing canons and buzz-saws respectively. The Decepticons also transformed into robot modes a second later. The Arcee trio came up behind them. The two Decepticons were boxed in between two sides of Autobots.

"Blasted Autobots!" snarled the car Decepticon, "Should have known you always like working as a team."

Ironhide raised his spinning arm canons.

"Got that right, punk!"

With startling speed, the motorbike Decepticon attempted to rush forward past Ironhide, but Elita One reacted faster. She threw herself into the air above the Decepticon and brought the razor hook-lined wheel weapon of her left arm slicing down across his head. The motorbike Decepticon dropped to the ground, spurting sparks and energon from his split head. Elita One landed neatly in front of Ironhide.

The car Decepticon, attempting to take advantage of the distraction caused by his motorbike partner, fired blasts from two weapons at both Arcee and Chromia and at Ratchet on either side of him. The Autobots managed to avoid the blasts by sidestepping and wheeling away. But before the car Decepticon could make his escape, Ratchet brought his buzz-saws right down on the Decepticon's shoulders, chopping his arms clean off. They fell with a clatter to the ground, along with the weapons they had been holding. Chromia and Arcee took aim with their blasters and fired. Their shots brought down the car Decepticon. He dropped to the ground twitching and sparking, energon bleeding from his gunshot wounds.

"Darn it!" Ironhide grumbled, "I didn't get to fire off a shot!"

Chromia rolled up to him and patted him on the thigh.

"You'll get another chance, hot stuff." She winked at him and rolled away.

Ironhide's mouth plates came up in a smirk as he watched her.

"Sideswipe," Ratchet called down his com-link, "how are you doing on your end?"

They all jerked in surprise when another two offline Decepticon bodies were thrown down amongst the first two that had been brought down. Ironhide and the others looked sideways to see a triumphant and cocky Sideswipe and Bumblebee, Sideswipe with his arm blades stained in drying oil and streaming energon and Bumblebee still carrying his smoking plasma canon. Coming up behind them were Jolt and the Twins.

"Didn't even get a dent," Sideswipe replied smoothly.

"Yeah, easy for you to say, Mr. I'm-so-cool-with-my-blades!" whined Skids, a resenting expression on his face.

Mudflap whacked the back of his green brother's head.

"OWW!" Skids cried out.

"Shut up, Skid-mouth!" Mudflap scolded.

Skids was about to retaliate when Bumblebee shot both brothers a hard glare. They ducked down quietly. Not taking his optics off the argumentative duo, Bumblebee proceeded to retract his plasma arm canon.

Arcee approached the four deactivated Decepticon bodies and regarded them thoughtfully.

"We've detected quite a nest of Decepticons here," she commented, "For deca-cycles after the Fallen's defeat we had nothing, then suddenly now they reappear."

"Megatron may be making a move again. We should treat this as a potential warning," Elita One advised, rolling up beside her red sister, "But this has been good hunting."

Jolt looked down at the four Deception bodies on the ground as well.

"So's this all of 'em?" he asked.

The sound of an incoming missile startled them suddenly then. Before they could react, a large explosion blew the group of Autobots in various directions. They landed heavily, scattered around the road. Stunned and dazed from the explosion, they looked up as a large shadow descended over them. They gaped. A behemoth of a Decepticon that was of a similar double-wheeled design to Demolisher from their Shanghai mission over two years previous loomed menacingly over them. Several charging canons emerged from the giant Decepticon's body.

"Autobots," the giant Decepticon boomed, "I give you termination!"

The helpless Autobots prepared themselves for the end.

Instead, they watched in amazement as two Decepticon jets came crashing down into the Demolisher look-alike, screaming. The impact of the Decepticon fliers against him caused the giant Decepticon to reel back. The two jets rebounded off him and slammed into the ground. Smoke rose from obvious heat damage on the bodies of the jets that exposed sparking Cybertronian circuitry within them.

Appearing out of a ball of blinding light and with a thundering boom, a glowing figure soared down from the sky.

"Optimus!" a relieved Elita One cried out.

Illuminated wing blades swivelled downwards and brought the masked Autobot leader to a hovering stop above the giant Decepticon. The Autobots watched in awe as Optimus held out a hand and, with unseen forces, seized the Decepticon that was six times his size. Then, fisting his hand and pulling it roughly sideways, he caused the giant Decepticon to topple onto his side, gripped by the Prime's invisible telekinetic powers. The road concrete cracked as the full weight of the Decepticon behemoth smashed down into it. The grounded Decepticon giant glared aggressively up at the hovering Prime above him.

"You cannot defeat the Decepticons!" he roared in fury.

Optimus brought his arms back, burning with radiant blue veins, and his hands began generating globules of blue energy. His optics flared like miniature white suns in the night. His voice rumbled like travelling thunder.

"We shall see."

His energized hands shot forward and he fired. It was a devastating and breathtaking sight. A beam of incinerating pure blue energy pierced through the head of the toppled Decepticon giant. His huge body twitched once then lay still. Bright blue energon leaked from the smouldering hole blown through his head. The watching Autobots gaped in astonishment for a second time that night.

Optimus Prime subdued his burning energies as he lowered himself down to his rising Autobots. He surveyed them for damage. They seemed functional with minor external dents and scrapes on their armour, though they were looking from the giant offlined Decepticon to him with stunned and wary optics. Uncomfortably, Optimus tried to avoid their stares by turning toward Elita One who was still leaning on the ground and offering his hand to help her up. She accepted it with a small smile and he pulled her upright onto her single-wheeled leg.

"Nice shot, Optimus," Ironhide commented slowly, his optics still fixed in mild shock at the smouldering head of the giant Decepticon, "Guess those new powers of yours are going to be very useful."

Optimus gazed down at his gently glowing hands thoughtfully. Then suddenly, the Seeker Silverbolt's voice came through on his in-built head communicator. He raised a hand over his left audio receptor, listening intently.

"Lord Prime, we have another Decepticon signal west of your position."

Optimus dropped his hand down to his side and turned back to his Autobots. A serious and commanding light shone from his royal blue optics.

"The hunt is not yet over. Roll out, Autobots!"

The Autobots transformed into their vehicle modes and began driving away. The last Prime spread his vibrant blue wing blades and took to the air. He plunged like a shooting star into the darkness of the night sky. An old and weary thought whispered again through his mind:

"_And so the war continues..."_

As they had done many times before, the hunters went in search of their next target.

**End.**


End file.
